UC-NRLF 


Slfl 


(Presented  to 


BY    THE 


JUNE    17,    1865. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


SOLOMON  WILLARD, 


ARCHITECT. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


SOLOMON    WILLARD, 


ARCHITECT  AND  SUPERINTENDENT 


OF     T  II  E 


BUNKER    HILL    MONUMENT 


BY  WILLIAM  W.  WHEILDON. 

rr 


.  .  "  Bat  the  work  is  done  ;  and  posterity  ought  to  know  that  they 
are  more  indebted  to  Solomon  Willard  than  to  «ny  other  person  for  the 
monument." — [Amos  Lawrence. 

.  .  .  .  "The  merits  of  this  noble  -  spirited  man  deserve  permanent 
record. — [Professor  Packard. 


PREPARED    AND    PRINTED 
BY     DIRECTION     OF     THE     MONUMENT     ASSOCIATION 

1865. 


< 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865, 

BY  WILLIAM  W.  WIIEILDOX, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


TO     THE 

LADIES  OF  BOSTON  AND  VICINITY, 

BY    WHOSE     PATRIOTIC    EFFORTS   AND    PERSONAL    SACRIFICES, 
THE 


oraiment 


WAS    ENABLED    TO    COMPLETE 

THAT     MAJESTIC     MEMORIAL 
To  the  Principles  and  Bravery  of  the  Fathers, 

IN    THE    ERECTION    OF    WHICH 

» 

SOLOMON     WILLARD, 

AS  ARCHITECT  AND  SUPERINTENDENT, 

BY  HIS  GENIUS,  SKILL  AND  LABOR,  GRATUITOUSLY  RENDERED, 
SO    LARGELY    CONTRIBUTED, 

THIS  MEMOIR 

i  s 

RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED. 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE. 


IT  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  published  proceedings  of  the 
BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION,  for  June,  1801,  that  a  com 
mittee  was  then  appointed  to  prepare  a  Memoir  of  SOLOMON  WIL- 
LARD,  the  Architect  and  Superintendent  of  the  Monument  and  one 
of  the  earliest  and  largest  contributors  to  the  work.0 

It  was  thought  by  the  Association  that  Mr.  Willard's  eminent 
and  unrequited  services  in  its  behalf,  and  his  extraordinary  devo 
tion  to  the  work  which  they  had  inaugurated,  entitled  him  to  the 
distinctive  honor  proposed.  A  brief  notice  of  his  life,  perhaps 
a  short  analysis  of  his  character,  and  a  mere  statement  of 
the  services  specially  rendered  by  him,  was  at  first  all  that  was 
contemplated ;  but  it  soon  appeared  to  the  Committee  that  a  nar 
rative  of  his  life  ;  of  the  self-education  and  self-elevation  which  he 
accomplished;  of  the  industry,  economy  and  exemplary  habits 
which  he  cultivated  ;  of  his  liberal,  public-spirited  and  magnani 
mous  conduct,  as  well  as  a  detailed  account  of  his  labors  in  relation 
to  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  in  every  stage  and  step  of  its  pro 
gress,  and  which  did  so  much  to  secure  its  completion,  was  due  to 
him,  would  meet  the  approval  of  the  association  and  at  the  same 
time  furnish,  in  the  life  of  an  excellent  and  worthy  man,  an  exam 
ple  of  industry,  perseverance  and  fidelity,  which  would  be  profita- 


*  William  W.  Wheildon,  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  Uriel  Crocker,  Nath'l.  Cotton, 
and  F.  H.  ^timp.*on,  Committee. 


6  AUTHOR'S  NOTE. 

ble  to  the  youth  of  the  country  and  a  bond  of  faith  to  the  faithful. 
They  have  not  hesitated  to  act  upon  this  conviction,  and  with  such 
means  as  were  open  to  them,  attempt  the  performance  of  the  work 
proposed. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  observe  that  the  narrative  of  Mr. 
Willard' s  life,  for  many  years,  is  so  intimately  connected  with  the 
progress  and  history  of  the  monument,  that  a  detailed  account  of 
the  one  is  necessarily  the  history  of  the  other.  Even  during  the 
periods  of  suspension,  and  when  Mr.  Willard  was  officially  dis 
charged  from  the  service  of  the  association,  he  was  repeatedly  con 
sulted  and  called  upon  for  information  and  advice  in  relation  to 
the  work,  its  resumption  or  its  completion.  For  this  and  other 
reasons,  it  has  been  thought  best  to  pass  over  the  periods  of  sus 
pension,  in  order  to  give,  in  a  connected  form,  the  narrative  of  the 
building  of  the  monument,  resuming  the  personal  history  after  the 
completion  of  that  great  work. 

There  are  two  matters  connected  with  the  erection  of  the  monu 
ment,  in  regard  to  which  it  was  desirable  that  justice  should  be 
done  to  Mr.  Willard  without  doing  injustice  to  any  other  party.  — 
These  relate  to  the  authorship  of  the  design  and  the  name  of  the 
architect  —  two  matters  that  have  been  controverted.  The  author 
ship  of  the  design  has  been  denied  to  him  and  earnestly  claimed 
for  another ;  and  the  plate  under  the  corner-stone  bears  the  name  of 
a  gentleman  as  architect  who  never  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
planning  or  execution  of  the  work,  and  does  not  bear  the  name  of 
Mr.  Willard.  Although  these  were  matters  of  more  or  less  notori 
ety  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  Mr.  Willard  spoke  of  them 
only  on  one  occasion,  never  preferring  any  claim  in  his  own  behalf ; 
and,  as  the  real  and  only  architect,  with  his  own  hands,  placed 
the  untruthful  deposit  under  the  present  corner-stone,  without  a 
murmur  of  displeasure.  Few  men,  we  think,  with  less  faith  in  the 
justice  of  a  final  public  judgment,  would  have  passed  these  matters 
over  in  silence. 

In  the  course  of  the  narrative,  wherever  it  has  been  practicable 
to  do  so,  the  author  has  preferred  to  allow  all  parties  to  speak  for 
themselves,  quoting  letters  not  intended  for  the  public  eye,  rather 
than  using  language  of  his  own  ;  and  very  rarely  has  he  taken  the 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE.  7 

liberty  of  changing  a  word  or  making  any  correction  in  style.  This 
rule  has  been  applied  particularly  to  Mr.  "VVillard  and  his  letters  ; 
and  most  of  the  statements  made  are  in  the  words  of  their  au 
thors  or  the  record.  In  one  or  two  instances,  the  chronological 
progression  of  the  narrative  suffers  some  violation,  but  it  was 
thought  better  to  submit  to  this  irregularity  than  to  anticipate 
reliable  authorities  and  disturb  other  connections. 

In  regard  to  the  preparation  of  the  memoir,  the  author  deems  it 
only  justice  to  himself  to  say  that  it  has  been  prepared  at  moments 
of  time  taken  from  other  duties,  or  while  making  daily  passages 
in  the  railroad  cars  to  and  from  a  residence  out  of  the  city.  It  may 
also  be  interesting  to  some  readers  to  know  that  the  setting  of  the 
type  for  the  entire  volume,  reading  proof-sheets,  &c.,  have  been 
performed  by  him  in  the  same  way  —  portions  of  the  work  having 
been  composed  in  type  without  any  previously  written  copy. 

The  press  work  and  printing  of  the  plates,  have  been  done  at 
the  office  of  Messrs.  George  C.  Eand  &  Avery,  to  whom  personal 
acknowledgments  are  due  for  many  kindnesses  during  its  progress. 

The  materials  used  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume  have  been 
obtained  from  papers  and  books  of  Mr.  Willard,  furnished  by  his 
brother  and  administrator,  Mr.  Cephas  Willard  of  Petersham  ;  from 
a  portion  of  the  letters  and  papers  of  the  late  Mr.  Amos  Lawrence  ; 
and  from  the  records  of  the  Monument  Association.  The  author 
is  also  indebted  to  Mr.  G.  Washington  Warren,  President  of  the 
Association,  for  the  use  of  valuable  papers,  and  to  various  individ 
uals  who  were  personally  acquainted  with  Mr.  Willard,  for  facts 
and  information  which  have  been  of  service. 

W.    "VV.    W. 

May  1st,   1865. 


STATEMENT    OF    CONTENTS. 


STATEMENT    OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY  —  BOSTON. 

Mr.  Willard  not  a  native  of  Boston  ;  Liberal  and  generous  character  of  the 
people  of  Boston  ;  Their  encouragement  of  worth  and  merit  ;  Eminent 
names  in  the  history  of  the  city  ;  Mr.  Willard  belongs  to  the  class  of 
"  self-made"  men  ;  The  value  of  such  men  and  the  lessons  they  leave  to 
the  young  ;  Mr.  Willard's  cultivation,  &c.  17  —  20 

CHAPTER    II. 
MR.  WILLARD'S  ANCESTORS  —  His  EARLY  LIFE. 

His  coming  to  Boston  —  Birth  and  parentage  ;  His  ancestry  ;  Major  Simon 
Willard,  from  England  ;  His  arrival  in  this  country,  in  1634  ;  His  public 
character  and  services  ;  His  death  at  Charlestown  ;  Major  Willard  Moore  at 
Bunker  Hill  ;  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  President  of  Harvard  University  ;  His 
personal  characteristics  ;  Solomon  Willard's  Early  Life  ;  His  employments 
and  ingenuity  ;  His  perseverance  and  personal  characteristics.  21  —  26 

CHAPTER    III. 
His  EMPLOYMENT  IN  BOSTON. 

Commenced  as  a  Carpenter ;  His  economy  and  success  ;  Work  on  the  Exchange 
Coffee  House  ;  Improvement  of  his  mind  and  purchase  of  Books  ;  Working 
as  a  Draughtsman  and  Carver  in  wood  ;  Work  for  Peter  Banner  and  Charles 
Bulfinch,  architects  ;  Carving  of  a  Colossal  Eagle  for  the  Custom  House ; 
The  Eagle  on  the  Beacon  Hill  Monument  ;  The  Beacon  and  Monument ;  Re- 
erection  of  the  Beacon  Hill  Monument  suggested  —  Mr.  Willard's  progress  in 
Carving  ;  Carving  of  figure-heads  and  a  bust  of  Washington.  27  —  33 


10  STATEMENT   OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

VISITS  TO  THE  SOUTH  —  STATUE  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Mr.  \Vilkrd  visits  the  South  ;  Spends  three  months  in  Richmond,  engaged  in 
Carving,  &c. ;  Also  at  Baltimore  and  New  York  ;  Proposed  Statue  of  Wash 
ington  ;  Model  in  Wax  after  Houdon's  Statue  at  Richmond  ;  Destroyed  in 
its  transportation  from  Richmond  to  Boston,  and  the  undertaking  relinquish 
ed  ;  Chantrey's  Statue  at  the  State  House  ;  Visit  to  Mr.  Rush  at  Philadel 
phia  ;  Drawing  of  the  "  Water  Nymph"  ;  Mr.  Rush's  compliment;  Al- 
pheus  Carey's  opinion  of  Mr.  Willard.  34  —  37 

CHAPTER  V. 
MODELLING  —  THE  CAPITOL  AT  WASHINGTON. 

Letter  from  Mr.  Charles  Bulfinch  ;  Visit  to  Washington  ;  Model  of  the  Capi 
tol  ;  Exhibited  to  Mr.  Wi Hard's  friends  at  Washington,  (not  Boston,  as  in  the 
text)  ;  Invitation  to  carve  the  ceilings  of  the  Congressional  Rooms  declined  ; 
Rooms  in  New  York  ;  Models  of  the  Pantheon  and  Parthenon.  38  —  41 

CHAPTER  VI. 
CARVING  IN  STONE  —  ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH  —  TEACHING. 

New  studies  ;  Carving  marble  panels  for  Mr.  David  Sears  ;  Stone  work  on  St. 
Paul's  church  ;  Its  portico  and  pediment  ;  Proposed  Scripture  piece  ;  the 
U.  S.  Branch  Bank  at  Boston  ;  Teaching  ;  Designing  and  building  Suffolk 
County  Court  House.  42  —  44 

CHAPTER  VII. 

NEW  HEATING  APPARATUS  —  THE  Hor-AiR  FURNACE. 

Pursuits  in  Boston  ;  Building  and  warming  houses  ;  Franklin's  fire-place 
and  Count  Rurnford's  cooking  range  ;  Use  of  Sea  coal  ;  Development  of 
coal  in  this  country  ;  Invention  of  a  hot-air  furnace,  and  its  introduction  ; 
English  inventions  ;  Furnaces  for  the  capitol  at  Washington.  45  —  51 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
BOSTON  MECHANICS'  INSTITUTION. 

Harmony  between  the  Mercantile  and  Mechanical  professions  ;    The  spirit   of 
the  Revolution  exemplified  in  the  formation  of  the  Mechanics'  Institution  ; 
Officers  and  members  ;  Mr.  Willard  one  of  the  Vice  Presidents  ;    Mr.  Ever 
ett's  lecture,  1827  ;  Mr.  Webster's  lecture,  1828  ;  After  ten  years  of  exist 
ence  its  effects  given  to  the  Mass.  Charitable  Mechanic  Association.     52 — 57 


STATEMENT   OF    CONTENTS.  11 

CHAPTER  IX. 

MR.  WILLARD'S  GREAT  WORK  —  BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 
His  idea  of  the  work  and  devotion  to  it  ;    Incorporation   of  the   Bunker   Hill 
Monument  Association  ;  Address  to  the  Public  ;  Plans  for  the  monument  ; 
Mr.  Willard  elected  a  member  of  the  Association  ;  Circular  of  the  Standing 
Committee  ;  Measures  to  obtain  subscriptions  ;  Address  to  the  Selectmen  of 
the  towns  in  the  Commonwealth.  58  —  6!) 

CHAPTER  X. 

SELECTION  OF  A  DESIGN  FOR  THE  MONUMENT. 

Designs  by  Mr.  Willard  ;  The  corporation  propose  a  monument  220  feet  high  ; 
Another  plan  by  Mr.  Willard,  for  public  exhibition  ;  Premium  offered  for  a 
design  ;  Thanks  to  Mr.  Willard  for  his  plans  ;  Letter  from  Mr.  Everett  and 
reply  ;  Discussion  of  a  design  ;  First,  Second  and  Third  Committees  ;  Final ' 
Report  on  the  subject  ;  Letter  from  Mr.  Willard  ;  Report  of  Building  com 
mittee  ;  Dimensions  of  the  proposed  obelisk.  70  —  81 

CHAPTER   XI. 

AUTHORSHIP  OF  THE  DESIGN  FOR  THE  MONUMENT. 

Imperfect  account  of  the  proceedings  respecting  the  design  ;  The  premium  not 
awarded  ;  Employment  of  Alexander  Parris  ;  Letter  to  George  Ticknor  ; 
Inscription  plate  and  the  name  of  the  architect  on  it  ;  Robert  Mills's  letter 
and  claim  ;  Remarks  on  the  subject.  82  —  92 

CHAPTER  XII. 

CEREMONY  OP  LAYING  THE  CORNER-STONE. 

Mr.  Willard  not  engaged  ;  Presence  of  General  L-ifayette  ;  National  pride  and 
popular  interest  ;  Numbers  of  people  assembled  ;  Procession  ;  Oration  by 
Daniel  Webster  ;  The  corner-stone.  93  —  97 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

ELECTION  OF  ARCHITECT  AND  SUPERINTENDENT. 

Mr.  Willard  chosen  October,  1825,  by  the  Building  Committee  ;  His  qualifica 
tions  for  the  work  ;  The  contract  with  him  ;  His  letter  to  George  Ticknor, 
proposing  a  plan  for  doing  the  work  ;  His  "salary"  and  preparations  for 
commencing  the  work.  98 106 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

PURCHASE  OF  THE  BUNKER  HILL  QUARRY. 

Mr.  Willard's  explorations  for  a  quarry  ;  His  idea  of  the  work  ;  Purchase  of 
the  Bunker  Hill  Quarry  ;  Its  distance  from  Bunker  Hill  ;  Remarks  of  the 
Building  Committee  on  the  purchase  ;  Estimate  of  a  quarry  ;  The  Director's 
estimate  of  an  architect.  107  — 112 


12  STATEMENT   OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  RAILWAY  ENTERPRISE  AND  CONTRACT. 

Introduction  of  the  Railway  system  into  the  country  ;  Petition  for  an  act  of 
Incorporation  ;  Act  approved  by  the  Governor,  1826  ;  The  contract  to  carry 
the  stone  to  Chaiiestown  ;  Dissatisfaction  with  the  Railway.  113 —  118 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
PRELIMINARY  WORK  ON  THE  MONUMENT. 

Preparations  for  proceeding  with  the  work  ;  Opening  and  clearing  the  ledge, 
and  making  roads  ;  Expenses  of  dressing  stone  ;  Expiration  of  the  archi 
tect's  engagement  ;  His  letter  and  plans  for  the  work  ;  A  meeting  of  the 
building  committee  at  Quincy,  and  satisfaction  with  the  work.  119  — 123 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

NEW  CONTRACT  AND  INSTRUCTIONS. 

The  new  contract  with  the  Architect  on  a  salary  ;  His  intention  to  have  his  ex 
penses  paid  and  not  a  salary  ;  Instructions  for  the  work.  124  — 127 

CHAPTER    XV1I1. 

MISUNDERSTANDING  AND  RECONCILIATION. 

It  is  not  intended  to  revive  misunderstandings  ;  Various  causes  of  dissatisfac 
tion  ;  The  architect  gives  up  the  work  ;  Note  from  Amos  Lawrence  and  his 
reply  ;  Letter  from  General  Dearborn  ;  The  architect  returns  to  the  work  ; 
Subscriptions  of  the  architect  and  the  workmen.  128  — 134 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
LEGISLATIVE  AID  TO  THE  MONUMENT. 

Extract  from  the  message  of  Governor  Eustis  ;  Grant  of  the  Legislature  in 
hammering  stone  at  the  State  Prison  ;  Authority  to  the  corporation  to  take 
land  for  its  purposes  :  The  cannons  "  Hancock"  and  "  Adams"  deposited  in 
the  monument  ;  The  legislative  grant  changed  to  a  grant  in  money  :  Fun 
among  the  dealers  in  lottery  tickets  in  Boston.  135  — 140 

CHAPTER  XX. 
CONTRACTS  AND  WORK  ON  THE  MONUMENT. 

The  making  of  several  contracts  for  different  portions  of  the  work  ;  Pro 
gress  of  the  work  in  1827  ;  The  cost  of  a  course  stated  ;  Experiments  and 
cost  of  the  work  ;  Progress  in  1828  ;  Vote  complimentary  to  the  architect ; 
Letter  from  Amos  Lawrence  ;  The  architect's  original  plans.  141  — 154 


STATEMENT   OF   CONTENTS.  13 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

SUSPENSION  OF  THE  WORK  —  DISCHARGE  OF  MR.  WILLARD  —  PROPOSED 

feALE    OF    THE    LAND. 

Progress  of  the  work  and  the  conclusion  arrived  at  ;  Disadvantage  of  inade 
quate  means  ;  The  Land  mortgaged  and  the  work  suspended  ;  Annual  meet 
ing  of  the  Association,  182  J  ;  New  Building  Committee  ;  Letter  from  Gen 
eral  Dearborn  to  the  architect ;  Laying  out  the  Land ;  Amos  Lawrence's  de 
sire  to  save  the  whole  battle-field ;  His  remarks  on  the  subject.  155  —  161 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  ENTERPRISES  —  PLANS  FOR  THE  PROSECUTION  OF 
THE  WORK  — 1830. 

Difficulties  and  obstacles  in  enterprises ;  Probable  mistake  of  the  Directors  ; 
Plans  for  resuming  the  work ;  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Hale's  effort  and  its  failure  ; 
Address  of  Edward  Everett  and  a  new  appeal  to  the  legislature  ;  Pamphlet 
list  of  contributors  and  act  of  incorporation.  162  — 166 

CHAPTER    XX 1 1 1. 
INTERRUPTION  IN  THE  GOVERNMENT  —  EFFORTS  OF  THE  MECHANICS' 

ASSOCIATION  —  1831  — 1833 

Annual  meeting,  1831 ;  Eruption  of  a  political  party  into  the  association  ;  They 
left  the  work  as  they  ibund  it ;  Annual  meeting,  1832  ;  Efforts  of  the  Me 
chanics'  Association  ;  Mr.  Everett's  Address,  1833.  167  —  172 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  —  MR.  WILLARD'S  REVIEW  OF  IT. 
Report  of  the  sub-committee  of  the  Mechanics'  Association  ;   Its  statements  re 
viewed  by  the  architect  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Sullivan.  173  — 185 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

EFFORT  OF  THE  MECHANICS'  ASSOCIATION  —  SALE  OF  THE  LAND  : 

1834  TO  1839. 

Recommencement  of  the  work  ;  Mr.  Willard  again  employed  ;  Report  on  the 
sale  of  the  land  ;  Land  sold.  [Note  :  Visits  of  President  Jackson  and  Hen 
ry  Clay  to  Bunker  Hill.  Addressed  by  Mr.  Everett.]  186  — 11)0 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

NEW  EFFORTS  FOR  COMPLETING  THE  MONUMENT  —  THE  LADIES'  FAIR  : 
1840  TO  1843. 

Unfinished  condition  of  the  monument  felt  by  the  people ;  Authority  for  holding 
a  Fair ;  The  Ladies'  Fair  and  its  successful  results ;  Donations  of  Amos  Law 
rence  and  Judah  Touro ;  Raising  the  cap-stone.  191  —  196 


14  STATEMENT    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXVIT. 

CELEBRATION  OF  THE  COMPLETION  or  THE  MONUMENT — 1843. 

Celebration  of  1843 ;  President  Tyler  and  his  Cabinet  pi^esent  ;  Mr.  Webster's 
Oration  —  Extracts  ;  "  The  work  is  done,"  &c.  Amos  Lawrence.  [Note  : 
Death  of  Hugh  S.  Legare  and  Phirieas  Johnson.]  197  —  203 

CHAPTER  XXVlll. 
COST  OF  THE  BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 

Considerations  on  the  cost  of  the  Monument;  Colonel  Baldwin's  estimate  and 
Mr.  Willard's  remarks  upon  it  ;  His  statement  of  the  actual  cost  of  the  work  ; 
Remarks  from  his  published  book.  204  —  213 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 

Charlestown  a  peninsula  with  three  hills  ;  Location  of  the  monument  and  the 
views  from  the  hill  ;  Its  object  and  purposes  ;  Description  of  the  monument 
and  its  parts  ;  The  completed  monument  satisfactory  to  the  Directors  ;  Its 
height  and  the  dimensions  of  its  parts.  214  —  224 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

MR.  WILLARD  AS  ARCHITECT  AND  BUILDER  — 1824  — 1835. 

His  duties  at  the  quarry  and  the  hill  ;  U.  S.  Branch  Bank  ;  The  monument  at 
Concord;  Rev.  Dr.  Ripley  ;  Norfolk  County  Court  House  ;  Harvard  Monu 
ment  ;  Mr.  Willard  in  the  Stone  business  ;  Survey  of  a  railroad  to  Brattle- 
borough  ;  Building  of  Bowdoin-street  church  ;  Contracts  in  New  Bedford  ; 
Building  of  the  Court  House  in  Boston.  225  —  230 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

NEW  YORK  MERCHANTS'  EXCHANGE — 1836  — 1841. 

Contract  for  Stone  and  correspondence  ;  Organization  of  workmen  on  stone 
work  ;  Management  of  the  quarry  ;  Prejudice  among  the  dealers  ;  Visit  of 
the  President  of  the  Exchange  Company  to  the  quarry  ;  Number  of  work 
men  employed  and  amount  of  stone  quarried  ;  Number  of  columns  and  their 
cost  ;  Completion  of  the  work  ;  Visits  to  New  York.  231  —  237 


STATEMENT    OF    CONTENTS.  15 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  STONE  BUSINESS  —  MR.  WILLARD  AS  A  FARMER. 

Objects  in  engaging  in  the  Stone  business  ;  Jealousy  of  dealers  ;  Success  of  his 
efforts  in  introducing  Granite  ;  Boston  Merchants'  Exchange  ;  The  Hall 
Cemetery  ;  Engaging  in  Agricultural  pursuits.  238  —  242 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
INTRODUCTION  OF  GRANITE  AND  MACHINERY. 

Use  of  large  blocks  of  Granite  and  improvement  in  architecture  ;  Dry  Docks, 
Astor  and  Tremont  Houses,  Blocks  of  Stores,  &o.  i  Introduction  of  machin 
ery,  (with  illustrations,  1,  3,  4  and  5.)  243  —  249 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CLOSING  LABORS  OF  MR.  WILLARD'S  LIFE — His  DEATH. 

Continued  residence  in  Quincy  ;  Granite  paving-stones  ;  Gliddon's  Lectures  ; 
Savings  Bank  in  New  York  ;  Town  House  in  Quincy  ;  School  house  in  West 
Quincy  ;  Building  a  road  to  the  "  new  state" — the  last  labor  in  which  Mr. 
Willard  engaged  ;  His  sudden  death  at  the  age  of  77  years  8  months  ;  His 
funeral  obsequies ;  Respect  of  his  townsmen  towards  him.  250  —  255 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MR.  WILLARD. 

His  thoughtful  and  studious  habits  ;  Faithfulness  ;  Standing  as  a  workman  ; 
Cultivation  of  his  intellectual  and  physical  faculties ;  Personal  appearance  ; 
The  charge  of  eccentricity  ;  Interest  in  West  Quincy;  The  "Rejected  Col 
umn  ;"  Evidences  of  his  skill,  industry  and  benevolence.  256  —  261 


16  APPENDIX  —  1LLUSTKATIONS. 


APPENDIX. 


1.  BEACON  HILL  MONUMENT. 

2.  WILLARD    MEMOIR  —  LETTER   TO  THE   PRESIDENT    OF  THE 

MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION. 

3.  FIRST  KEPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE. 

4.  PUBLIC  MONUMENTS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

5.  STATUARY  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


VIEW  OF  BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT  —  From  a  Photograph. 
VIEW  OF  BEACON  HILL  MONUMENT  —  From  a  painting  by  Sully. 


1.  Diagram  of  the  First  Course  and  Corner-Stone  (°)  of  Bunker 

Hill  Monument. 

2.  Sectional  View  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument. 

3.  Diagram  of  the  Lifting  Jack,  —  with  side,  interior  and  front 

views  of  the  same. 

4.  Diagram  of  the  Pulling  Jack,  for  removing  large  and  heavy 

blocks  of  stone. 

5.  Diagram  of    the  Hoisting  Jack,  for  loading  columns,  pilas 

ters  and  other  heavy  blocks. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


SOLOMON    WILLARD 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY — BOSTON. 

SOLOMON  WILLARD  was  not  a  native  but  a  voluntary  citizen 
of  Boston;  and  although  at  one  time  disposed  to  take  up  his 
residence  in  another  city,  and  actually  locating  himself  there,  he 
soon  returned  to  Boston  as  his  most  congenial  home. 

Bostonians  are  proud  of  their  city,  its  history  and  its  honor- 
'able  names  in  the  various  walks  of  business,  in  public  and  pri 
vate  life.  Her  citizens  have  been  distinguished  as  patriots  and 
heroes,  and  professionally  as  lawyers,  statesmen,  clergymen,  and 
in  the  departments  of  art,  science  and  literature.  They  are 
known  in  history  and  biography,  and  bear  a  fame  down  to  pos 
terity  as  enduring  as  language,  which,  whatever  may  be  said  of 
the  self-complacency  of  the  people,  will  forever  justify  the  right 
of  the  city  to  appreciate  its  own.  It  is  a  testimonial  to  her  lib 
erality  and  the  generous  nature  of  her  people  that  no  distinctions 
are  made,  in  the  award  of  merit  or  in  the  contest  of  excellence, 
between  native  and  voluntary  citizens ;  those  of  the  household 
and  those  who  seek  its  shelter  and  its  consideration.  The  road 
3 


18  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

to  distinction  has  been  ever  open  to  all  competitors,  titled  or  not 
titled,  and  merit,  made  more  apparent  by  the  obstacles  it  has  to 
encounter,  is  assured  of  its  position  and  its  honor.  Pretension 
everywhere  has  its  achievements  and  for  a  time  revels  in  success, 
but  true  worth  always  finds  its  appreciation  and  reward  among 
an  intelligent  people.  It  may  not  be  entirely  peculiar,  but  it  is 
deemed  characteristic  of  the  people  of  Boston,  that  those  who 
have  come  into  her  fold  have  found  as  ready  employment,  consid 
eration  and  honor,  as  those  born  into  it.  This  is  her  early  and 
later  history,  and  numerous  illustrations,  more  or  less  conspicu 
ous,  are  to  be  found  in  her  annals.  Commendable  as  this  may 
be  in  her  life  and  honorable  to  her  judgment,  her  generosity  and 
her  patriotism,  it  is  almost  too  much  to  believe  that  mistakes  or 
omissions  have  not  happened  in  which  injustice  has  been  done  to 
worthy  motives  and  a  reasonable  ambition.  But  as  the  rule,  en 
couragement  and  appreciation  have  been  bestowed  upon  all  who 
have  taken  up  their  abode  with  her  people,  whether  coming  to 
them  over  the  hills  of  New  England  or  the  waves  of  the  Atlan 
tic.  The  guerdon  of  learning,  the  stamp  of  genius,  the  odor  of 
sanctity,  the  oriflamme  of  patriotism,  have  been  recognized  by  the 
citizens  of  Boston,  more  readily  and  more  surely  than  any 
hereditary  claims  to  position  or  consequence,  or  the  flaunting  of 
any  token  of  imperial  favor.  And  not  this  alone,  not  merely 
achieved  prominence  or  distinction,  but  humble  effort,  immature 
merit,  aspiring  hopefulness,  in  science  or  art,  in  learning  or  la 
bor,  have  rarely  failed  to  meet  that  encouragement  which  rightly 
and  earnestly  directed  effort  is  entitled  to  receive. 

Boston  has  honored  herself  in  this  :  The  list  of  worthy  names 
which  adorns  her  history,  of  men  who  have  ornamented  her  so 
ciety,  directed  her  councils,  represented  her  in  the  state  and  fed 
eral  governments,  graced  and  honored  her  professions,  promoted 
her  wealth  and  prosperity  as  merchants  and  mechanics,  and  who 
have  in  a  more  than  poetic  sense,  lived  in  her  life,  includes  those 
of  many  who  were  not  born  on  her  soil  and  inherited  none  of  her 
greatness  though  they  now  bear  a  proud  share  in  it.  Revere  and 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  19 

Franklin  were  her's ;  Hancock  and  Otis  were  her's ;  Samu 
el  Adams  and  the  Phillipses,  the  Jacksons,  the  Sullivans  and 
the  Lowells,  were  her's ;  but  the  names  of  Warren,  Adams, 
Quincy,  Dexter,  Gerry,  Mason,  Story,  Webster,  Bowditch, 
Choate,  the  Lawrences  and  others,  and  many  more  among 
the  living,  are  her's  only  by  voluntary  residence  and  adoption  : 
in  the  whispered  words  of  another  to  our  private  ear,  "they  had 
their  nests  in  the  woods."  She  has  welcomed  and  nurtured  and 
honored  these,  as  her  own  children,  and  they  have  faithfully  giv 
en  back  to  her  their  labors,  their  success,  their  thoughts,  their 
unforgotten  names,  and  side  by  side  with  her  own,  and  as  her 
own,  they  stand  upon  the  pages  of  her  history.  They  are  no 
less  than  others,  her  jewels,  and  form  with  them  her  chaplet  of 
fame,  her  constellation  of  patriotic  and  high-souled  men. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir,  in  other  countries,  where  other 
laws  prevail,  where  different  institutions  exist,  where  merit  at 
taches  to  position,  or  is  compelled  to  seek  it  for  countenance  and 
support,  would  hardly  be  considered  as  entitled  to  this  distinc 
tion,  by  the  higher  classes,  nor  would  it  be  demanded  by  those 
less  favored  who  could  not  bestow  it.  The  class,  —  it  seems  as 
though  we  might  almost  say  race,  —  to  which  Mr.  Willard  most 
unequivocally  belongs,  though  not  wholly  unknown  in  some  oth- 
,  er  of  the  civilized  and  progressive  nations,  is  believed  to  be  pecu 
liar  to  our  own  country,  born  with  its  birth — existing  even  be 
fore  its  birth  as  a  nation — and  growing  with  its  growth,  with  a 
vigor  which  proves  its  congeniality,  if  not  its  indigenousness  to 
the  soil.  The  laws,  it  is  true,  or  the  absence  of  them,  have  un 
doubtedly  something  to  do  with  this  :  neither  making  or  allowing 
any  distinctions  between  elder  and  younger  sons,  or  men  as  men ; 
but  leaving  every  one  at  liberty  to  seek  his  own  improvement, 
promote  his  own  welfare,  work  out  as  it  were,  under  God  alone, 
his  own  destiny,  making  his  mark  if  he  can,  or  writing  his  full 
name  as  he  may,  upon  the  page  of  history  or  the  scroll  of  fame. 
Born,  it  may  be,  in  obscurity  or  retirement,  with  no  inherited 
claim  to  prominence,  often  with  no  education  but  that  furnished 


20  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON  WTLLARD. 

by  a  half  yearly  public  school ;  with  no  endowment  of  wealth 
or  prestige  of  position ;  in  fact  often  amidst  deprivation,  labor 
and  hardship  —  those  parents  of  perseverance  and  skill  —  men 
among  us  have  worked  their  way  to  high  positions  of  usefulness 
and  honor,  —  as  if  the  very  point  from  which  they  started,  and 
the  way  they  were  compelled  to  travel,  wrere  alike  necessary  to 
that  developement  of  energy  and  intellect  which  has  made  them 
men  among  men  equal  with  the  highest  peer  of  them  all.  The 
lives  of  such  men  are  of  great  advantage  to  community,  in  all 
the  departments  of  science,  learning,  literature  and  the  arts  of 
life,  for  they  are  inventive  and  progressive  men  ;  and  the  lessons 
they  afford  are  by  no  means  the  least  of  the  benefits  they  confer 
upon  the  whole  human  family.  They  adorn  the  times  in  which 
they  live,  and  leave,  besides  the  wealth  of  their  intellect,  an  ex 
ample  to  be  followed  by  succeeding  generations,  which  the  histo 
rian  of  men  should  not  fail  to  record. 

Mr.  Willard  was  one  of  this  class  of  men  and  minds  —  so  re 
ceived,  so  welcomed,  so  encouraged,  so  appreciated  by  the  people 
of  Boston.  He  was  endowed  by  nature  with  a  mind  of  origi 
nal  mechanical  and  artistic  thought,  combining  tact  and  talent, 
•which  were  developed  by  self-effort  and  judicious  self-cultiva 
tion,  —  some  of  processes  and  means  and  results  of  which  we 
shall  see  and  endeavor  to  illustrate  in  the  course  of  this  narra 
tive  of  his  life  and  labor. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

MR.  WILLARD' s  ANCESTORS — HIS  EARLY  LIFE. 

MR.  WILLARD  came  to  Boston  in  early  life,  a  "rough  ash 
lar,"  to  seek  employment,  to  learn  a  trade,  labor  and  obtain  an 
honest  living, —  and  see,  as  many  others  have  done  and  thought, 
what  shall  come  of  it.  Not  as  "waiting  for  something  to  turn 
up,"  but  rather  to  turn  something  up  and  see  what  activity,  en 
ergy  and  industry,  directed  by  the  best  lights  open  to  him, 
might  be  able  to  accomplish. 

He  was  born  at  Petersham,  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  26th  of  June,  1783.  His  father,  known  as  Deacon  Wil 
liam  Willard,  was  a  native  of  Biddeford,  Maine,  and  his  mother, 
Katherine  Wilder,  of  Lancaster,  Massachusetts.  They  were 
married  November  22,  1763.  William  Willard  was  the  son  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Willard  of  Biddeford,  who  was  the  son  of  Maj.  John 
Willard  of  Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  and  grandson  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Willard,  D.  D.  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church  and  Vice  Pre 
sident  of  Harvard  College.  As  the  last  named  Samuel  was  a 
son  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  the  first  emigrant  and  military 
leader  of  his  time,  Solomon  Willard,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  a  direct  descendant  from  that  noted  man,  of  the  sixth  gener 
ation,  as  follows  :  1.  Simon,  the  first  emigrant ;  2.  Samuel,  the 
Vice  President  of  Harvard  College ;  3.  John,  of  Jamaica,  tra 
der  ;  4.  Samuel,  of  Biddeford ;  5.  William,  of  Petersham ;  6. 
Solomon,  the  architect. 

William  Willard  had  two  brothers,  Rev.  John  Willard,  D.  D. 


22  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

of  Stafford,  Connecticut,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Willard,*  the  four 
teenth  President  of  Harvard  College,  father  of  Joseph  Willard, 
Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court,  Suffolk  Co.,  at  the  present  time, 
(1863,)  and  author  of  the  "Willard  Memoir."  William  was 
the  father  of  eleven  children,  and  Solomon  was  the  youngest  but 
one  :  two  of  them  died  in  early  life.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Willard, 
of  Deerfield,  known  as  the  Blind  Preacher,  and  yet  remember 
ed  by  many  persons  in  this  vicinity,  who  have  listened  to  his 
discourses  with  peculiar  interest,  was  a  brother  of  Solomon.  His 
blindness  was  caused  by  grief  and  over-use  and  a  similar  cause 
brought  the  same  deprivation  upon  his  son.  His  familiarity  with 
the  Bible  and  Psalm  Books  was  remarkable,  and  his  memory 
was  so  retentive  and  firm  that  he  was  able,  with  slight  prepara 
tion,  to  perform  all  the  services  of  the  pulpit  without  authorizing 
a  suspicion  of  his  blindness. 

Major  Simon  Willard,  above  mentioned,  was  a  native  of  Hors- 
monden,  County  of  Kent,  England,  and  was  baptized  on  the  7th 
of  April,  1605.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his  sister  Mar 
gery  and  his  half  brother  George,  in  the  year  1634,  and  was 
three  times  married  —  his  second  and  third  wives  being  near  rel 
atives  of  President  Dunster,  of  Harvard  University.  It  seems 
that  he  held  a  military  commission  in  England.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  here  he  was  engaged  in  the  public  service,  and  besides 
filling  numerous  civil  offices,  as  a  military  teacher  and  leader 
served  the  colony  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  first  settled  at 
Cambridge ;  was  the  principal  purchaser  of  Concord  from  the 
Indians ;  removed  from  Concord  to  Lancaster ;  thence  to  Gro- 
ton  —  and  finally  to  Charlestown,  where  he  died.  He  was  a 
leading  man  in  all  these  towns,  and  a  large  landholder,  having 
received  several  grants  of  land  for  his  various  public  services. 


*  This  uncle  of  Solomon  Willard  was  inaugurated  as  President  of  the  College 
on  the  19th  of  December,  1781,  under  Governor  Hancock,  and  held  the  office 
until  his  death,  September  15th,  1804,  within  a  few  days  of  the  coming  of  his 
nephew  to  seek  his  fortune  in  Boston. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  23 

It  would  require  a  large  space  simply  to  enumerate  the  vari 
ous  public  offices  held,  and  public  duties  performed,  by  Major 
Simon  Willard,  during  the  forty  years  of  his  public  life.  He 
was  '  Clerk  of  the  Writs'  at  Concord,  for  nineteen  years,  by  elec 
tion  ;  deputy  and  representative  for  fifteen  years ;  assistant  for 
twenty  years.  He  was  the  surveyor  of  arms  ;  superintendent 
of  the  fur  trade  ;  commissioner  and  negotiator  for  numerous  im 
portant  purposes  relative  to  towns,  boundaries,  the  Indians,  &c. 
He  was  for  more  than  twenty  years  in  command  of  the  Middle 
sex  Regiment ;  for  much  of  the  time  on  the  frontier  towrns,  de 
fending  them  against  the  incursions  of  the  Indians  ;  was  the 
leader  of  the  expedition  against  Ninigret,  the  Narraganset  sa 
chem,  and  near  the  time  of  his  death,  unable  to  discharge  his 
civil  duties  by  reason  of  his  military  services,  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  King  Philip's  War.  Twice  he  had  the  subject  of 
"the  Concord  and  Sudbury  meadows"  in  his  hands  —  an  impor 
tant  interest,  not  yet  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  two  centuries, 
finally  disposed  of.  There  is  scarcely  any  kind  of  service  need 
ed  of  a  public^ man  in  those  early  times,  that  Major  Willard 
did  not  render  to  the  colony  :  in  making  and  administering  the 
laws,  preparing  for  war  and  conquering  peace,  regulating  trade, 
settling  controversies  and  town  difficulties,  buying  and  dividing 
lands,  &c.  His  house  at  Groton  having  been  burnt  by  the  In 
dians,  in  March,  1675,  his  family  fled  to  Charlestown,  where 
he  died  on  the  24th  day  of  April,  1676,  (4th  of  May,  N.  S.) 
Major  Willard  was  the  father  of  seventeen  children,  and  his  de 
scendants  of  the  6th  generation  are  estimated  at  10,976  ;  of  the 
8th  generation,  239,057. 

In  speaking  of  one  of  his  descendants,  Major  Willard  Moore,  it 
is  said,  "At  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  he  was  a  Major  in  a  new 
regiment  raised  at  Cambridge,  of  which  Colonel  Doolittle  was 
commander.  In  the  absence  of  the  Colonel,  the  command  of  the 
regiment  devolved  upon  Major  Willard  Moore.  'He  was  early 
in  the  field,  and  took  a  prominent  post  of  danger.  ...  He 
was  wounded,  and  fell  in  the  second  charge  of  the  enemy  upon 


24  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

the  lines.  He  received  another  wound  through  the  body,  as  his 
men  were  carrying  him  from  the  field,  which  proved  fatal.'  At 
the  foot  of  that  hill  reposed  in  peace  the  remains  of  his  great 
grandfather,  Major  Simon  Willard."* 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  D.  D.,  was  the  seventh  President 
of  Harvard  College,  the  General  Court,  by  its  votes  having  ex 
cluded  President  Increase  Mather  and  appointed  Dr.  Willard, 
on  the  same  day,  6th  of  September,  1701.  He  held  the  office 
under  the  title  of  Vice  President,  for  more  than  six  years,  and 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  to  great  acceptance.  "Willard 
was  quiet,  retiring,  phlegmatic  and  unpretending. 
His  life  had  been  devoted  to  professional  research  and  pastoral 
duties.  His  study  was  the  scene  of  his  private  labors  ;  his 
church  the  theatre  of  his  public  action.  These  had  constituted 
a  sphere  of  usefulness,  to  which  his  ambition  had  been  limited ; 
which  he  did  not  quit  until  after  repeated  legislative  applications, 
for  one  higher  and  wider,  and  then  with  reluctance,  "f 

It  is  remarkable  how  nearly  some  of  these  personal  character 
istics  were  reproduced  in  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  a  hundred 
years  later.  The  Doctor's  independence  of  character,  as  illus 
trated  in  the  following  extract,  was  not  less  conspicuous  in  Mr. 
Solomon  Willard  :  "Amid  the  agitations  consequent  on  that  in 
sanity  of  the  age,  denominated  'The  Salem  Witchcraft,'  the  con 
duct  of  Willard  was  marked  by  prudence,  firmness  and  courage. 
He  neither  yielded  to  the  current,  nor  feared  to  cast  the  weight 
of  his  opinion  publicly  in  opposition  to  the  prevailing  delusion  ; 
an  independence  the  more  remarkable  and  honorable,  as  Stough- 
ton  and  Sewall,  two  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  trial,  men  of 
great  influence  in  the  Province,  both  his  personal  friends,  and 
the  latter  a  principal  member  of  his  church,  were  deeply  infect 
ed  by  the  distemper  of  the  times.  "J  He  died  on  the  12th  of 


*  Willard  Memoir,  or  Life  and  Times  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  by  Joseph 
Willard,  p.  391.     1858. 

t  Quincy's  History  of  Harvard  University.         %  Ibid. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  25 

September,  1707.  His  son  Josiah  held  the  office  of  Tutor  in 
the  University,  and  was  afterwards  Secretary  of  the  Province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,  earning  in  this  office  the  sobriquet  of 
"the  good  Secretary." 

Of  Solomon  Willard's  early  life  we  have  only  some  general 
information  ;  and  this,  of  small  importance  in  most  cases,  is  per 
haps  less  essential  in  Mr.  Willard's,  whose  early  career  was  of 
a  most  common  character  —  and  yet,  bred  a  man  of  industry, 
perseverance,  self-reliance  and  energy,  he  was  sure  to  leave  an 
impress  of  himself  upon  whatever  he  touched.  His  brother,  Ce 
phas  Willard,  of  Petersham,  writes  of  him,  "My  brother  had 
no  advantages  but  a  common  school  of  that  day.  He  acquired 
easily  and  made  good  proficiency.  His  employment  wras  mainly 
agricultural.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  in 
dull  weather  and  in  winter,  Solomon  was  employed  in  the  shop,— 
not  with  the  expectation  of  learning  a  trade,  but  to  fill  up  his 
time  in  some  useful  employment.  He  was  very  ingenious  and 
would  perform  skilfully  many  things  in  the  mechanic  arts.  He 
labored  upon  the  farm  until  about  the  first  of  August  after  his 
majority,  and  in  October,  1804,  he  left  home  for  Boston." 

These  few  lines  indicate  Mr.  Willard's  birth,  parentage  and 
education  —  such  as  belong  to  the  history  of  thousands  of  young 
men  born  and  nurtured,  i.  e.  made  useful,  in  New  England.— 
There  is  nothing  peculiar  in  it  —  nothing  important,  unless  it 
be  in  the  general  absence  of  all  advantage  of  position,  means 
and  influence,  sometimes  supposed  to  be  necessary  to  success.  It 
is  no  disparagement  to  the  boy  —  no  reflection  upon  the  interest 
of  the  parent  —  to  say  that,  besides  being  occupied  "in  some 
useful  employment,"  he  was  left  to  develope  himself,  like  a 
tree  in  the  field,  expected  and  permitted,  in  due  time,  to  bear  its 
own  fruit,  with  such  care  alone  as  the  husbandman  can  give  it 
in  common  with  the  rest. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  he  labored  faithfully  for  his  father  dur 
ing  his  minority,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  latter  wTas  re 
quired  to  do  nothing  for  him  after  that  period.     He  attended  the 
4 


26  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

town  school  in  winter,  and  employed  such  portions  of  time  as 
were  granted  to  him,  with  a  borrowed  book  or  two,  for  his  own 
improvement  in  gratifying  his  thirst  for  knowledge.  He  is  said 
at  this  time  to  have  been  persevering  and  indefatigable  in  what 
ever  he  undertook  to  accomplish ;  achieving  triumphs,  under  the 
circumstances,  in  mechanical  and  intellectual  pursuits, —  opening 
the  doors  of  knowledge  and  invention  to  himself ;  often  no  doubt, 
surprised  by  the  discovery  of  things  and  their  relations,  princi 
ples  and  their  application,  known  long  before  his  renowned  mili 
tary  ancestor  was  born.  It  is  no  marvel  that  in  after  years,  the 
mind  which  had  worked  out  old  discoveries  for  itself,  should 
work  out  new  ones  for  others.  The  latter  were  no  more  discov 
eries  to  him,  from  the  original  workings  of  his  mind,  than  the 
former,  as  both  were  the  result  of  the  same  thoughtfulness  and 
study,  the  same  combinations  and  the  same  capacity  for  investi 
gation  and  calculation. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Willard  exhibited  other  qualities,  which  af 
terwards  became  characteristic  of  his  life  and  conduct.  He  was 
of  gentle  manners,  amiable,  kind  and  obliging ;  careful,  faith 
ful  and  considerate.  Ready,  we  imagine,  as  in  after  life,  to  en 
ter  upon  any  new  undertaking  which  promised  to  call  forth  the 
energies  and  inventive  powers  of  his  mind,  and  more  especially 
if  something  no  one  else  would  undertake,  or  in  which  others 
had  failed.  In  such  a  case  he  would  accomplish  the  desired  ob 
ject  or  end,  or  show  how  it  could  be  done,  as  a  matter  of  course 
and  not  as  a  success,  much  less  as  a  triumph  for  himself.  His 
brother  relates  of  him  that  in  his  study  of  Euclid,  a  copy  of 
of  which  some  way  came  into  his  possession,  the  problem  which 
puzzled  him  at  night,  as  he  pored  over  it  after  the  rest  of  the 
family  had  retired,  was  sure  to  be  found  mastered  on  his  slate 
in  the  morning. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  27 


CHAPTER   III. 

HIS    EMPLOYMENT   IN   BOSTON. 

MR.  WILLARD' s  first  work  in  Boston  has  been  variously  stat 
ed.  Mr.  Alpheus  Carey,  who  knew  him  well  for  many  years,  says 
he  "  commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  the  first 
work  he  did  was  to  fit  with  the  broad  axe  a  set  of  piles  for  the 
building  of  a  wharf,  and  notwithstanding  the  coarseness  of  the 
work,  he  said  his  master  taught  him  one  good  habit,  and  that 
was  to  keep  his  tools  always  in  good  order."  He  never  forgot 
this  lesson,  or  failed  to  give  the  principle  it  inculcated  a  broad 
application.  Mr.  Willard's  own  record,  probably  of  this  trans 
action,  shows  that  he  worked  for  Pond  &  Gale,  ten  days  at  fifty 
cents  per  day  (and  board,)  and  the  amount  is  entered  under  the 
date  of  10th  November,  1804.  The  next  thirteen  days  he  was 
employed  by  Salmon  Morton,  at  the  same  rate  of  compensation. 
But  this  kind  of  labor  and  its  proportionate  pay  could  not  long 
engage  the  attention  of  a  mechanic  of  Mr.  Willard's  capacity. 
He  was  one  who  always  worked  with  his  head  as  well  as  hands, 
and  in  doing  a  piece  of  work  himself,  or  seeing  another  do  it,  his 
immediate  thought  would  be  whether  it  could  not  be  done  in 
some  easier,  quicker,  or  cheaper  way,  or  in  a  more  perfect 
manner. 

Before  the  end  of  his  first  year  in  Boston,  Mr.  Willard  had 
worked  for  several  parties,  had  paid  his  personal  expenses,  made 
purchase  of  tools,  books,  &c.  and  on  the  12th  of  October,  1805, 
"  received  of  Salmon  Morton  two  hundred  dollars,  due  for  eight 


28  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

months'  work,  with  money  lent."  It  would  appear  that  he  had 
supported  himself  and  furnished  his  employer  with  a  part  of  his 
working  capital  in  the  first  year  of  his  freedom.  Three  months 
later,  besides  visiting  the  paternal  roof  and  making  —  what 
was  then  a  journey  —  a  visit  to  Providence,  he  had  money  to  let, 
and  took  a  note  of  William  Willard  for  two  hundred  and  five 
dollars,  which  was  subsequently  paid  by  installments.  It  must 
not  be  inferred  from  these  statements  of  his  prudence  and  thrift 
that  Mr.  Willard  was  a  penurious  or  an  avaricious  man, —  he 
was  neither  the  one  or  the  other, —  but  free  and  liberal  always, 
spending  his  money  for  useful,  practical  and  profitable  purposes, 
and  not  otherwise  ;  often  for  means  of  instruction  and  improve 
ment,  but  seldom  for  mere  recreation. 

In  1808,  Mr.  Willard,  still  working  at  the  trade  of  a  carpen 
ter,  was  employed  upon  the  famous  Exchange  Coffee  House,  an 
immense  and  costly  structure,  in  the  rear  of  State-street,  and 
extending  from  Congress  to  Devonshire-street.  This  building, 
combining  the  hotel  and  merchants'  exchange,  was  at  the  time 
of  its  erection,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  pretentious  buildings 
in  the  country,  and  was  almost  as  remarkable  for  its  architec 
tural  designs  and  arrangements  as  for  its  great  height,  numerous 
apartments  and  spacious  accommodations.  There  were  in  this 
edifice  three  principal  stair-cases,  of  which  the  grand  spiral  pile, 
on  the  southerly  side  of  the  building,  which  extended  from 
the  basement  story  to  the  roof  and  intended  especially  for  the 
hotel,  was  built  by  Mr.  Willard,  and  was  a  work  of  considerable 
calculation,  judgment  and  skill  in  the  joiner's  art.  Probably 
there  was  no  piece  of  joiner's  work  in  the  country  at  that  time 
which  would  compare  with  it,  in  spaciousness,  achitecture  or 
finish.  It  was  some  slight  preparation  for  the  construction, 
many  years  afterwards,  of  the  winding  steps  leading  to  the  top  of 
Bunker  Hill  Monument.  Mr.  Willard  was  engaged  upon  this 
edifice  for  several  months,  until  the  8th  of  December,  1808. 
He  had  previously  had  some  experience  in  stair-work,  which 
has  since  then  become  a  distinct  branch  of  carpentry.  As  this 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  29 

building  was  seven  stories  high,  and  contained  a  central  rotunda 
with  galleries  and  an  immense  dome,  it  included  much  elaborate 
work  in  various  styles  of  architecture  by  the  best  artists  of  the 
time,  and  was  a  very  useful  study  for  Mr.  Willard.  No  doubt 
he  profitted  by  the  opportunity  it  afforded.  This  costly  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  3d  of  November,  1818,  and  the 
light  of  the  conflagration  was  seen  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred 
miles  from  Boston. 

Although  Mr.  Willard  had  worked  these  three  or  four  years 
to  considerable  pecuniary  profit,  and  had  also  learned  his  trade, 
without  any  regular  apprenticeship,  he  had  by  no  means  neglec 
ted  the  improvement  of  his  mind  and  the  acquisition  of  knowl 
edge  intended  to  be  made  available  in  the  future.  He  early 
provided  himself  with  the  most  approved  works  on  architecture 
and  perspective  drawing ;  pu  rchased  an  Encyclopaedia  and 
other  standard  books,  and  paid  for  his  tuition  at  a  drawing 
academy  for  at  least  two  terms  —  some  years  later  becoming 
a  teacher  himself. 

Mr.  Willard  had  also  during  the  same  years,  in  the  improve 
ment  of  that  time  which  so  many  others  waste,  qualified  himself 
not  only  as  a  draughtsman  but  as  a  carver  in  wood.  His  first 
charge  for  this  kind  of  wrork  was  made  in  February,  1809,  to 
A.  Dexter,  for  six  capitals,  probably  for  a  door-way.  The  same 
year  he  carved  a  set  of  Ionic  capitals  for  the  Brighton  meeting 
house ;  and  other  sets  for  E.  Preble  and  Richard  Hills.  In  the 
latter  part  of  this  year,  so  much  had  this  business  grown  in  his 
hands,  Mr.  Willard  seems  to  have  been  constantly  employed, 
carving  besides  other  work  all  the  capitals.  Ionic  and  Corinthian, 
for  the  steeple  of  Park-street  Church,  of  which  Peter  Banner, 
a  well-known  architect  of  that  time,  was  the  designer.*  He  re- 


*  Peter  Banner  was  a  native  of  England,  and  followed  his  profession  as  an 
architect  previously  to  coming  to  this  country.  One  of  the  best  preserved  evi 
dences  of  his  skill  and  taste  in  this  vicinity,  is  a  private  mansion  house  adnii- 


30  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

ceived  from  Mr.  Banner,  in  November,  1809,  nearly  four  hun 
dred  dollars  for  his  work  on  this  church  ;  and  in  December  hired 
a  room  in  Somerset  Place  and  employed  two  workmen  to  assist 
him. 

For  the  following  years,  1810,  '11  and  '12,  Mr.  Willard  was 
still  engaged  in  carving,  commencing  the  first  of  these  years  on 
work  for  the  Federal-street  Church,  (Dr.  Channing's,)  lately 
taken  down,  of  which  Charles  Bulfinch,  afterwards  employed  to 
finish  the  capitol  at  Washington,  was  the  architect.  He  also 
purchased  some  "anatomical  apparatus";  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  on  that  subject ;  commenced  the  study  of  the  French 
language,  and  secured  admission  to  the  Library  of  the  Boston 
Athenaeum. 

In  1810,  in  the  spring,  Mr.  Willard  carved  at  the  establish 
ment  of  Mr.  Goodrich,  organ  builder,  a  colossal  spread  Eagle, 
which  was  placed  upon  the  apex  of  the  pediment  of  the  old  Cus 
tom  House  in  Boston,  and  still  ornaments  the  warehouse  which 
now  occupies  the  same  site  on  Custom-house  street.  As  this 
figure  was  designed  to  be  elevated  to  the  height  of  some  sixty 
feet,  it  was  of  colossal  size,  measuring  five  feet  from  wing  to 
wing,  and  about  five  feet  in  height.  It  was  in  these  measure 
ments  admirably  adapted  to  the  proportions  of  the  building  which 
it  was  designed  to  embellish  and  indicate  as  national  in  its  pur 
poses.  Of  this  kind  of  work  at  that  time,  it  unquestiona 
bly  possessed  considerable  merit,  and  probably  to-day  in  its 


rably  located  on  the  northerly  slope  of  Parker's  Hill,  Washington  Street,  in 
Roxbury,  built  for  Mr.  Eben.  Crafts,  in  1805.  At  that  time  it  was  quite  noted 
for  its  proportions  and  classic  style,  was  visited  by  the  Cambridge  students  and 
is  still  much  admired  for  its  rich  and  massive  front  elevation  ;  its  fine  fluted 
Corinthian  columns,  in  pairs,  on  pedestals,  and  reaching  to  the  height  of  two 
stories,  and  for  its  general  purity  of  style.  The  interior  finish  is  also  elaborate 
and  the  ornamentation  profuse  but  still  tasteful  and  classic.  It  has  been  for 
the  last  twenty  years,  the  residence  of  George  HOAVC,  Esq.,  and  has  recently 
been  purchased  by  other  parties,  who  we  trust,  will  long  preserve  it  and  its 
delightful  grounds  and  venerable  elms  from  the  vandal  hands  of  "progress" 
and  ''improvement." 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  31 

porportions  and  execution,  for  the  purpose  intended,  will  stand 
the  test  of  a  reasonable  criticism.  This  Eagle  is  said  to  have 
been  one  of  several,  more  or  less  prominent,  that  were  cotempo- 
rary  in  the  early  history  of  Boston.  The  first  of  these  was  that 
which  was  placed  upon  the  top  of  Beacon  Hill  Monument,  erec 
ted  by  the  Citizens  of  Boston,  in  1790,  upon  the  hill  then  ex 
isting  and  lying  between  Dearne  street  and  the  State  House, 
the  present  site  of  the  Reservoir.  The  gilded  Eagle,  still  pre 
served,  is  suspended  in  the  Representatives'  Hall,  while  the 
large  tablets  of  slate-stone,  covered  with  historical  data,  are  in  the 
Doric  Hall  below,  still  calling  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the 
independence  and  prosperity  of  their  country  and  admonishing 
them  to  ' '  forget  not  those  who,  by  their  exertions,  have  secured 
to  them  these  blessings."  The  Eagle  carved  by  Mr.  Willard  was 
damaged  by  fire  in  May,  1862,  but  has  since  been  repaired,  and 
while  its  cotemporary,  taken  in  from  the  storms  of  the  elements, 
overlooks  the  legislation  of  the  State,  this  proud  bird  still  calm 
ly  gazes  upon  the  evidences  of  an  extended  commerce  and  peers 
into  the  dim  distance  of  the  ocean  beyond. 

The  Beacon  Hill  Monument,  built  tw'o  years  after  the  Beacon 
itself,*  its  frame  and  "  skillet"  had  been  blown  down,  was  proba 
bly  the  first  public  or  historical  monument  erected  in  the  coun- 


*  The  Beacon  was  erected  in  1635,  the  next  year  after  the  completion  of  the 
fortifications  on  Fort-hill  by  the  people  of  Boston,  Charlestown,  &c.,  and  was 
intended  to  alarm  the  neighboring  towns  in  case  of  an  attack  by  Indians.  As  it 
was  standing  during  the  revolutionary  war,  it  may  have  been  used  to  alarm 
the  country  had  occasion  required.  The  Beacon  was  therefore  ante-revolu 
tionary  by  a  hundred  and  forty  years,  while  the  Monument  was  subsequent  to 
the  adoption  of  the  Constitution.  » 

In  1768,  when  it  was  expected  that  British  troops  were  coming  to  Boston, 
a  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the  subject  and  adopt  measures  for  "  the  peace 
and  safety  of  his  [Majesty's]  subjects  in  this  Province,  &c.  At  this  time,  Sep 
tember  10,  an  officer  arrived  from  Halifax  "  whose  mission  was  rightly  judged 
to  be  to  make  arrangements  for  quartering  troops  in  the  town.  Immediately 
after  his  arrival  a  tar-barrel  was  discovered  in  the  skillet  of  the  Beacon  on  Bea 
con  Hill.  This,  it  was  understood,  was  to  be  fired  when  the  King's  ships  con 
taining  the  troops  from  Halifax,  should  make  their  appearance  in  the  bay. 

Construing  the  elevation  of  a  tar-barrel,  under  such  circumstances,  to  be  a  gross 


32  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

try,  and  as  it  no  longer  exists,  a  brief  notice  of  it  here  may  not 
be  out  of  place.  The  hill,  according  to  drawings  reproduced 
in  1859,  was  nearly  as  high  as  the  dome  of  the  State  House, 
and  was  dug  away  between  1806  and  1810,  and  the  monu 
ment  taken  down.  It  was  pyramidal  in  form,  ascended  in  part 
by  a  flight  of  steps  from  Dearne  street,  and  said  to  be  138 
feet  above  tide-water.  The  monument  was  a  plain  Doric  col 
umn,  4  feet  diameter,  on  a  pedestal  of  8  feet,  60  feet  high,  and 
surmounted  by  an  Eagle,  bearing  the  arms  of  America.  It  was 
of  brick  masonry,  plastered.  In  the  panels  of  the  pedestal  were 
four  inscriptions  :  that  on  the  south  side  stated  the  purpose  of 
the  monument  thus  :  "  To  commemorate  that  train  of  events 
which  led  to  the  American  Revolution,  and  finally  secured  Lib 
erty  and  Independence  to  the  United  States,  this  column  is 
erected  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  citizens  of  Boston, 
MDCCXC."  On  the  west  side,  these  events  were  named,  com 
mencing  with  the  Stamp  Act  and  ending  with  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  ;  and  on  the  north  side,  they  were  continued, 
including  the  Confederation,  the  Constitution,  Treaty  of  Peace, 
Inauguration  of  Washington  as  President,  &c.  On  the  east 
side,  an  appeal  which  ought  to  mark  the  spot  to  day  :  "  Amer 
icans  !  wrhile  from  this  eminence  scenes  of  luxuriant  fertility,  of 
flourishing  commerce,  and  the  abodes  of  social  happiness,  meet 


insult,  in  his  military  capacity,  the  Governor  [Bernard,]  summoned  the  Coun 
cil,  which  was  held  at  a  gentleman's  house  half-way  between  the  Governor's  at 
Jamaica  Plains  and  Boston."  Here  the  tar-barrel  question  was  debated,  and  it 
was  "  resolved  that  the  Selectmen  should  be  desired  to  take  it  down  ;  but  they 
would  not.  do  it.'*  "However,  Slier  iff  Greenleaf  had  private  orders  from  the 
Governor  and  Council  to  remove  it,  using  his  own  discretion  as  to  the  proper 
time  to  do  it.  He,  therefore,  taking  about  a  half-dozen  men  with  him,  proceed 
ed  stealthily  to  the  hill,  just  at  dinner  time,  and  effected  the  important  object 
in  about  ten  minutes.  This  was  a  victory  over  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  gained 
while  they  were  not  expecting  the  enemy."  Drake's  History  of  Boston. 

It  seems  from  this  account  that  the  engraving  in  Dearborn's  peculiar  book, 
* '  Boston  Notions, ' '  representing  the  Beacon  with  a  full-sized  tar-barrel  on  the 
top  of  the  pole  besides  that  in  miniature  in  the  "  skillet"  suspended  from  the 
crane,  is  an  unauthorized  addition  of  the  artist. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  33 

your  view,  forget  not  those  who,  by  their  exertions,  have  secur 
ed  to  you  these  blessings." 

This  just  monition  of  the  early  fathers  might  with  great  pro 
priety  and  good  sense  be  inscribed  upon  Bunker  Hill  Monument. 
It  was  the  original  intention  to  put  inscriptions  similar  to  those 
above  mentioned  on  this  structure,  as  the  first  circular  of  July 
9,  1823,  declares  :  "  It  is  intended  to  erect  a  monument  which 
shall  be  consecrated  to  the  great  leading  characters  and  events, 
civil  and  military,  of  the  American  Revolution,  up  the  17th  of 
June,  1778,  to  bear  appropriate  inscriptions  of  names  and  dates." 
It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  inscriptions  already  quoted  suggested 
this  idea,  but  the  purpose,  if  really  entertained,  to  make  Bun 
ker  Hill  Monument  personal  or  individual,  in  any  degree, 
never  met  with  public  favor,  and  upon  a  full  consideration  and 
discussion  of  the  subject,  it  was  thought  best  to  leave  it  without 
inscription  of  any  kind.  If,  however,  the  original  intention 
should  ever  be  carried  into  effect  by  the  association,  we  know  of 
no  more  fitting  words  for  a  portion  of  the  inscription  than  those 
just  quoted.  Better,  perhaps,  even  than  this  would  be  the  re- 
erection  of  Beacon  Hill  Monument  on  the  Common,  a  very 
suitable  place  for  it,  or  on  the  grounds  in  front  of  the  State 
House. 

Mr.  Willard  continued  the  business  of  a  carver,  as  a  profes 
sion,  for  several  years,  having  in  1813,  as  we  find  by  his  first 
charge  for  such  work,  added  to  his  architectural  work  that  of 
ship-carving.  His  anatomical  studies,  his  observation  and  his 
practice  had  prepared  him  for  this  new  branch  of  art,  and  among 
the  figure-heads  carved  by  him  are  mentioned  those  of  a  native 
"  Tartar,"  for  the  ship  of  that  name  —  a  vessel  of  celebrity  in 
her  time  —  and  an  Arab,  for  a  schooner  called  the  "  Caravan." 
In  January,  1816,  Mr.  Willard  completed  a  colossal  bust  of 
Washington,  for  the  United  States  74-gun  ship  Washington, 
built  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  and  launched  that  year,  and  for  this 
work  he  received  one  hundred  dollars. 


34  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VISITS   TO   THE   SOUTH  —  STATUE   OF   WASHINGTON. 

ON  the  18th  of  December,  1810,  Mr.  Willard  paid  for  his 
passage  by  vessel  to  Norfolk,  in  Virginia,  and  arrived  at  Rich 
mond  on  the  21st.  He  was  at  the  "  Cape"  on  the  9th  of  De 
cember,  and  probably  sailed  from  there,  paying  his  passage  on 
board  the  vessel.  He  passed  about  three  months  in  Richmond, 
engaged  in  carving,  and  also  spent  some  time  in  Charlotteville, 
Washington,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and  New- York, —  return 
ing  to  Boston  on  the  16th  of  May,  1811.  In  1814,  Mr.  Wil 
lard  did  considerable  carving  for  parties  in  Providence,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  this  year  was  again  at  the  south.  In  Novem 
ber,  1817,  Mr.  Willard  left  Boston,  and  returned  again  on  31st 
of  October,  1818.  He  spent  about  six  months  in  Baltimore, 
and  vicinity,  and  three  or  four  months  in  New  York,  (thinking 
to  locate  there  permanently,)  and  seems  to  have  prosecuted  his 
business  very  successfully. 

About  this  time  it  was  proposed  to  erect  a  Statue  of  Wash 
ington  in  Boston,  by  the  Washington  Monument  Association, 
which  was  organized  some  time  previously.  An  Equestrian 
Statue  was  at  first  proposed,  to  be  placed  on  Flagstaff  Hill,  on 
the  Common,  but  the  idea  was  subsequently  abandoned  and  a 
simple  statue  determined  upon,  to  be  placed  in  the  Doric  Hall 
of  the  State  House.  Mr.  Willard,  who  had  already  made  a  co 
lossal  bust  of  Washington,  in  wood,  had  a  strong  desire  to  en- 


MEMOIR    OP    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  35 

gage  in  this  work,  although  we  have  found  no  mention  of  any 
work  in  stone  by  him  previously  to  this  time.  He  was  con 
sulted  by  some  of  the  gentlemen  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  pro 
curing  the  statue,  and  was  induced  to  make  a  journey  to  Rich 
mond,  Virginia,  where  the  State  Government  had  erected  a 
Statue  of  Washington,  by  Houdon,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  Jefferson.  This  was  made  at  Mount  Vernon,  in  1785, 
by  actual  "  measurements  of  the  hero's  person"  taken  by  the 
artist  himself,  who  had  come  to  this  country  on  the  invitation  of 
Franklin  and  Jefferson,  expressly  to  execute  this  work  and  a 
bust  which  he  took  home  with  him. 

Reaching  Richmond,  by  a  sailing  packet,  in  about  ten  days 
from  Boston,  Mr.  Willard,  who  was  accompanied  and  assist 
ed  by  his  friend,  Mr.  Alpheus  Carey,  (to  whom  we  are  in 
debted  for  these  particulars,)  proceeded  at  once  in  taking  meas 
urements  and  in  the  construction  of  a  model  on  a  miniature  scale 
in  wax.  In  this  he  succeeded  much  to  his  satisfaction,  and  also 
obtained  a  life-size  bust  in  plaster,  a  copy  of  that  by  Houdon. 
With  these  means,  under  the  inspiration  of  the  subject  and  his 
own  genius,  it  is  believed  that  Mr.  Willard  would  have  been 
able  to  produce  a  Statue  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  creditable 
to  him  and  worthy  of  the  subject.  Unfortunately,  perhaps,  for 
Mr.  Willard' s  fame,  the  model  although  packed  with  great  care 
fulness,  was  broken  and  rendered  worthless  in  its  transportation 
to  Boston.  Mr.  Willard  thereupon,  —  probably  finding  the 
work  a  greater*  task  than  he  had  calculated,  and  with  his  little 
experience,  more  than  he  would  be  justified  in  assuming,  — re 
linquished  the  undertaking.  A  conscientious  fear  of  failure, 
which  would  be  injurious  to  himself  and  a  much  more  serious 
wrong  to  his  employers,  we  have  no  doubt  prevented  Mr.  Wil 
lard  from  recommencing  the  work.  The  statue,  as  is  generally 
known,  was  executed  by  Chantrey,  a  distinguished  English 
sculptor,  in  London,  and  occupies  the  room  constructed  for  it 
by  the  Association  in  the  Doric  Hall  of  the  State  House, 
where  it  was  placed  in  1828.  It  is  of  pure  white  marble,  grace- 


36  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

fully  clothed  in  a  military  cloak.  Chantrey,  like  Willard  and 
Rush,  commenced  his  career  in  art  as  a  carver. 

After  leaving  Richmond,  Mr.  Carey  relates  that  they  visited 
Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  In  the  latter  city  they  presented 
letters  of  introduction  to  Mr.  William  Rush,  these  having  been 
furnished  to  them  by  Mr.  Robert  Mills  of  Baltimore,  the  dis 
tinguished  architect  of  the  Washington  Monument,  erected  in 
that  city  in  1815-16.  Mr.  Rush  had  at  this  time  acquired  con 
siderable  reputation  as  a  carver  in  wood,  and  especially  of  figure 
heads  for  ships.  These  were  favorably  spoken  of  in  the  period 
icals,  and  had  also  been  noticed  in  England  —  where,  it  is 
said,  they  had  been  in  some  instances  purchased  and  transferred 
to  the  bows  of  English  vessels  in  Liverpool.  Mr.  Rush  succeed 
ed  "admirably  with  Indian  figures,"  and  these  would  be  likely 
to  attract  attention  abroad.  He  subsequently  wrought  a  Statue 
of  Washington  for  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  which  is  now  in 
the  State  House  at  Philadelphia.*  Mr.  Mills  was  a  prominent 
competitor  for  the  premium  offered  by  the  Bunker  Hill  Monu 
ment  Association  for  a  design  for  the  monument,  and  appears  to 
have  thought  he  had  a  strong  claim  to  it. 

During  this  visit  to  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Willard  made  a  draw 
ing  of  the  "  Water  Nymph,"  a  piece  of  statuary  by  Mr.  Rush, 
which  surmounted  the  building  of  the  Fairmount  Water  Works, 
(a  labor  of  singular  insignificance  in  these  days  of  artistic  skill 
and  photography,)  with  which  Mr.  Rush  was  much  pleased,  and 
which  gained  his  consideration.  In  speaking  of  this  matter  the 
next  day,  Mr.  Rush  said  to  Mr.  Carey,  "that  gentleman  is  a 
man  of  high  talent ;  I  wish  I  could  draw  as  well  as  he  does,  but 
I  cannot."  Mr.  Willard  had  an  accurate  eye  and  a  facility  in 
drawing  quite  remarkable  for  that  time  and  the  slender  opportu 
nities  he  had  enjoyed.  Mr.  Rush  was  a  Director  in  the  Penn 
sylvania  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  and  a  member  of  the  City 


*  Vide  Dunlap's  History  of  the  "  Arts  of  Design." 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  37 

Council  of  Philadelphia.  The  remark  made  by  him  was  con 
sidered  by  Mr.  Carey  as  a  very  high  compliment  to  his  friend. 
We  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  well  merited. 

Architectural  drawing,  carving  in  wood,  various  studies  in 
chemistry  and  geology,  teaching  in  drawing  and  perspective, 
occupied  Mr.  Willard' s  time,  until  he  added  to  these  pursuits 
those  of  modelling  and  sculpture.  His  taste,  industry  and  gen 
eral  accomplishments  in  all  these  arts,  induced  Mr.  Carey  to  say 
in  a  letter  of  June,  1861,  "I  have  been  acquainted  with  nearly 
all  of  the  principal  artists  and  mechanics  who  have  resided  in 
Boston  for  the  last  fifty  years,  and  I  think  I  have  never  known 
a  man  of  greater  original  powers  of  mind,  combined  with  un 
common  practical  skill  in  execution,  than  Solomon  Willard.  He 
was  indefatigable  in  whatever  he  undertook,  and  seldom  if  ever 
failed  to  accomplish  his  object.  Whether  the  material  on  which 
he  wrought  was  clay,  wood,  marble  or  granite,  he  was  equally 
successful  in  all."  Similar  testimony  is  offered  by  others  who 
knew  Mr.  Willard  personally  and  professionally.  "  Combined 
with  uncommon  practical  skill  in  execution,"  we  doubt  if  his 
place  has  even  yet  been  filled. 


38  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MODELLING THE  CAPITOL  AT  WASHINGTON. 

MR.  WILLARD  seems  to  have  adopted  modelling  as  an  auxil 
iary  to  designing  and  drawing,  in  architecture,  and  appears  to 
have  applied  it  to  private  as  well  as  public  enterprises.  The 
first  mention  of  modelling  found  in  Mr.  Willard's  books  is  under 
the  date  of  June,  1817,  where  he  mentions  having  worked  five 
days  upon  a  model,  at  three  dollars  per  day.  He  probably  did 
other  work  of  this  kind  before  he  left  for  the  south. 

The  next  mention  of  the  subject  is  in  the  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Charles  Bulfinch,  at  the  time  engaged  as  architect  upon  the 
capitol  at  Washington  : 

"Washington,  January  30,  1818. 

"Mr.  Willard,  —  Sir,  I  understood  from  Mr.  Towne,  when 
he  passed  through  this  place,  that  you  were  in  Baltimore  and 
intended  soon  to  come  on  here  and  with  a  wish  to  obtain  employ 
ment.  There  are  a  number  of  sculptors  employed  on  the  public 
buildings  —  very  superior  workmen,  brought  from  Italy  by  the 
agents  of  the  government,  and  whom  they  are  under  contract  to 
keep  employed.  But  I  have  a  wish  to  have  a  Model  made  of 
the  capitol  building,  both  of  the  parts  already  erected  and  finish 
ing  and  of  the  different  designs  for  the  centre.  To  be  on  a  scale 
of  one  inch  to  eight  feet  would  require  a  model  of  four  feet  long 
and  about  fourteen  inches  high,  or  to  be  more  exact,  forty-five 
inches  long,  fifteen  deep  and  ten  high  in  the  walls.  Should  you 


MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  39 

like  to  undertake  this  ?  I  wish  you  to  consider  and  let  me 
know  as  soon  as  convenient,  whether  you  incline  to  come  for  the 
purpose,  and  on  what  terms  you  would  undertake  it,  and  how 
long  time  it  would  require.  Perhaps  the  doing  that  would  in 
troduce  to  other  work.  The  model  I  propose  to  be  of  wood, 
similar  to  one  of  a  hospital,  done  by  you  in  Boston  for  Dr. 
Parkman. 

"  Your  answer  would  oblige  your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

"  CHARLES  BULFLNCH. 

"  On  consulting  the  Commissioner  he  is  willing  to  engage  you 
for  one  month,  if  you  think  you  can  complete  the  mojdel  in  that 
time,  at  three  dollars  per  day." 

Mr.  Willard  at  this  time  was  engaged  on  the  ornamental  work 
of  the  Independent  Church,  in  Baltimore,  and  to  Mr.  Bulfinch's 
friendly  invitation  sent  the  following  reply  : 

"  Baltimore,  February  16,  1818. 

11  Sir,  —  Previous  to  receiving  your  letter  I  had  engaged  to 
execute  some  ornamental  finishings  for  the  Independent  Church, 
in  this  place,  designed  by  Mr.  Godfrey,  and  which  will  probably 
require  a  month  to  complete. 

"  I  have  a  desire  to  be  engaged  at  the  public  buildings  and 
on  a  part  which  will  not  interfere  with  others.  The  time  neces 
sary  to  make  the  model  which  you  mention  would  depend  on  the 
mountings  of  the  representation ;  but  I  should  think  that  it 
might  be  done  sufficiently  so  in  about  eighteen  days.  The  com 
pensation  per  day  should  be  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three 
hundred  cents. 

"  It  would  oblige  me  if  you  would  let  me  know  soon,  by  the 
way  of  the  post  office,  if  the  terms  are  acceptable,  or  if  the  delay 
will  occasion  any  inconvenience. 

"Yours,  &c.,  SOLOMON  WILLARD." 

The  correspondence,  so  characteristic  of  Mr.  Willard  in  the 


40  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

foregoing  letter,  was  further  continued  by  Mr.  Bulfinch,  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  February,  who  then  informed  Mr.  Willard  as 
follows  :  "  Since  I  have  mentioned  to  the  Committee  of  Congress 
and  to  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Buildings  the  advantages  of 
having  a  model,  they  have  become  impatient  to  have  it  made, 
and  wish  it  to  be  undertaken  immediately."  Urging  Mr.  Wil 
lard  to  make  an  arrangement  to  come  on  and  begin  the  work, 
he  says,  "  there  will  be  no  difficulty  about  the  terms,  .  .  . 
and  I  think  there  will  be  an  opening  for  you  here  in  the  line 
you  are  fondest  of,  that  is  worth  your  attention." 

Mr.  Willard  replies  that  "  the  committee  of  the  church  have 
consented  to  release  me  for  the  present,  .  .  .  and  I  shall 
have  the  necessary  implements  for  executing  the  work  transport 
ed  by  land,  and  shall  be  happy  to  serve  you  to  the  extent  of  my 
ability." 

The  work  was  accordingly  undertaken  and  completed  early 
in  April.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend  under  the  date  of  Baltimore, 
April  9th,  1818,  Mr.  Willard  speaks  of  the  work  as  follows : 

"I  have  just  returned  from  Washington,  where  I  have  been 
engaged  in  executing  a  model  of  the  public  buildings,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Bulfinch.  The  model  though  slight,  seems  to 
give  satisfaction,  and  Congress  has  shown  uncommon  liberality 
in  the  appropriations  for  carrying  the  work  into  effect.  This 
model  was  executed  in  the  architect's  room,  where  we  had  the 
honor  of  a  visit  from  Mr.  Latrobe." 

Some  years  afterwards  the  model  was  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Bulfinch,  at  Boston,  and  was  shown  by  him  to  his  friends  and 
commended  as  an  evidence  of  the  genius  and  ability  of  Mr. 
Willard.  It  is  presumed  to  be  still  in  existence,  but  now  repre 
senting  only  a  small  portion  of  the  present  building. 

Some  months  previous  to  the  execution  of  this  work,  Mr.  Wil 
lard  visited  Washington  for  a  few  days,  and  it  is  understood  then 
rendered  valuable  assistance  to  Mr.  Bulfinch  in  making  drawings 
and  working  plans  of  Mr.  Latrobe' s  designs. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  41 

In  June  of  the  same  year,  while  yet  engaged  in  Baltimore, 
Mr.  Bulfinch  invited  Mr.  Willard  to  come  to  Washington  "  to 
undertake  the  carving  on  the  ceiling  of  the  Senate  and  Repre 
sentatives'  rooms,"  and  adds,  "  I  hope-  your  engagements  will 
not  interfere  with  your  coming  here,  as  I  should  derive  great 
confidence  and  pleasure  from  your  engaging  in  the  work,  and 
would  do  all  in  my  power  to  render  it  agreeable  and  profitable 
to  you."  But,  notwithstanding  his  formerly  expressed  desire  to 
be  engaged  on  the  public  buildings  and  the  kindness  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Willard,  evidently  thinking  he  might  "interfere  with  oth 
ers,"  under  date  of  June  19th,  1818,  wrote  as  follows  :  "  The 
ornaments  of  the  church  are  not  quite  completed  and  when  they 
are  finished  I  do  not  think  of  returning  to  Washington,  as  there 
are  a  sufficient  number  of  my  profession  already  there  ;  but  I 
shall  make  New  York  my  residence,  as  I  think  that  my  ulti 
mate  views  will  be  best  promoted  in  that  place."  What  were 
the  ultimate  views  entertained  by  him  at  this  time,  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining.  This  correspondence  shows  that  he  re 
garded  carving  and  ornamental  work  as  comprising  his  profes 
sion  ;  but  modelling,  as  connected  with  architecture  and  as  he 
practiced  it,  was  an  art  which  seems  to  have  been  undertaken 
and  pursued  by  him  partly  as  a  matter  of  taste. 

In  July,  Mr.  Willard  hired  a  room  in  New  York  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  —  but  returned  to  Boston  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
He  was  no  doubt  fully  employed  while  in  that  city.  Subse 
quently  and  for  a  number  of  years,  in  Boston,  Mr.  Willard  oc 
cupied  a  portion  of  his  time  in  modelling  designs  and  plans  of 
his  own,  and,  in  addition  to  these,  made  models  in  plaster  of 
the  Pantheon  and  Parthenon,  of  exact  proportions,  which  were 
used  by  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  in  a  course  of  lectures  delivered 
by  him,  in  the  winter  of  1821-2.  These  models  are  yet  in  ex 
istence,  in  the  basement  room  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 
6 


42  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARP. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CARVING  IN  STONE  —  ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH  —  TEACHING. 

AFTER  his  return  from  the  south,  Mr.  Willard  who  had  pre 
viously  paid  some  attention  to  the  subject  of  geology,  now  con 
nected  this  study  with  chemistry,  and  attended  a  course  of  lec 
tures  on  the  latter  science.  He  made  himself  familiar  with  the 
different  kinds  of  stone  and  their  component  parts,  and  devoted 
much  time  and  labor  to  a  practical  investigation  of  the  science  — 
which  like  his  other  studies  and  pursuits,  proved  available  in 
aftertime,  both  in  quarrying  and  building.  He  continued  also 
to  meet  all  the  demands  made  upon  him  in  carving,  making  de 
signs  and  drawing  plans,  and  added  to  his  other  pursuits  that 
of  carving  in  stone,  or  sculpture  in  its  limited  and  popular  sense. 
The  first  work  of  this  kind  mentioned  by  him  in  his  memoranda 
of  accounts,  excepting  a  single  tablet  for  Mr.  Carey,  is  the 
"  modelling  and  executing  of  five  panels  in  marble  for  Mr.  David 
Sears,  at  one  hundred  dollars  per  panel,"  in  October,  1816.— 
These  are  to  be  seen  in  the  front  of  his  fine  granite  mansion 
house  on  Beacon  street,  in  Boston,  and  as  specimens  of  scroll 
work  and  foliage  are  quite  equal  to  the  best  outside-work  of  the 
present  time. 

In  January,  1820,  Mr.  Willard  was  engaged  on  the  stone 
work  of  Saint  Paul's  Church,  Tremont  street,  of  which  Captain 
Alexander  Parris  was  the  architect.  He  had  previously  been 
•  an  inmate  of  Capt.  Parris' s  family,  and  undoubtedly  gave  him 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  43 

friendly  assistance  in  the  arrangement  and  preparation  of  the 
plans  for  this  edifice,  which  was  regarded  as  a  very  decided 
improvement,  in  material  and  style,  on  the  churches  of  half  a 
century  ago,  —  resulting,  as  it  certainly  did,  partly  owing  to  its 
cramped  situation,  in  disappointing  the  expectations  of  its  pro 
prietors.  Its  completion,  we  think,  was  not  regarded  with  much 
satisfaction :  in  point  of  fact  it  never  has  been  completed,  and 
since  its  erection,  has  been  overshadowed  by  the  Masonic  Temple, 
now  the  United  States  Court  House,  and  other  buildings  near  it. 
The  masonry  of  this  church  was  the  work  of  Mr.  Carey,  who 
thinks  Mr.  Willard  made  some  of  the  drawings,  though  Capt. 
Parris  prepared  the  working  plans.  The  front  elevation,  —  its 
Ionic  portico  and  pediment,  —  is  of  Potomac  sand-stone,  from  the 
quarries  near  Aquia  Creek,  which  were  visited  by  Mr.  Carey  on 
occasion  of  his  trip  to  Virginia  with  Mr.  Willard,  two  or  three 
years  previously.  The  massive  columns,  in  blocks,  are  the  work 
of  Mr.  Carey,  but  the  wrought  capitals  are  by  Mr.  Willard,  who 
worked  them  out  on  Mason  street,  on  land  afterwards  occupied 
for  many  years  until  his  death,  by  his  warm  friend  Mr.  Amos 
Lawrence.  It  was  originally  intended  to  have  a  Scripture-piece, 
executed  in  bass-relief,  in  the  pediment  above  the  portico,  for 
which  purpose  the  blocks  of  stones  are  left  projecting  at  the  pre 
sent  time.  The  subject  proposed  was,  "  Paul  before  King 
Agrippa,"  and  it  was  to  have  been  executed  by  Mr.  Willard; 
but  the  edifice  having  cost  more  than  the  original  estimate,  the 
proprietors  did  not  feel  warranted  in  incurring  any  further  ex 
pense,  and  the  work  was  not  undertaken.  They  also  thought 
the  kind  and  quality  of  the  stone  inferior  and  unsuitable  for 
the  work ;  but,  as  it  can  be  worked  with  facility  and  will  of 
course  be  as  durable  as  the  columns  and  capitals  of  the  portico, 
—  notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  location  of  the  edifice,  —  the 
original  design  may  yet  be  completed.  It  would  greatly  enrich 
and  improve  its  appearance. 

During  the  following  years,  Mr.  Willard,  —  besides  furnishing 
plans,  designs  and  models  ;  including  plans  of  improvements  for 


44  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLAKD. 

the  Second  Church  and  Brattle-square  Church,  (1823-4)  ;  a 
plan  and  model  for  the  United  States  Branch  Bank  ;  plans  and 
outlines  for  many  private  houses  and  blocks,  —  received  pupils 
at  his  studio  near  St.  Paul's  Church,  and  gave  lessons  in  archi 
tecture  and  drawing.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Cotton,  a  member  of  the 
committee  to  prepare  this  memoir,  was  an  attendant  in  one  of 
his  classes  in  drawing,  and  speaks  of  him  in  high  and  apprecia 
tive  terms  as  an  instructor  and  a  gentleman.  He  says,  "Mr. 
Willard's  ability  as  an  architect  having  become  more  generally 
known,  he  was  induced  to  devote  a  portion  of  his  time  to  impart 
ing  instruction  in  architectural  drawing  ;  and  by  his  experience 
and  perfect  familiarity  with  his  subject,  was  a  competent  and 
thorough  teacher,  especially  for  those  who  were  disposed  to  be 
gin  at  the  beginning.  He  was  always  interested  in  the  progress 
of  his  pupils  and  encouraged  them  by  the  kindness  of  his  man 
ners.  He  endeavored  to  teach  them  the  first  principles  of  geom 
etry  and  of  perspective,  and  as  they  progressed  he  gradually 
brought  them  to  comprehend  and  understand  the  orders  of  archi 
tecture  and  their  true  application  and  appropriate  purposes.  He 
was  familiar  with  the  works  of  the  old  masters  of  the  art  and 
had  a  high  appreciation  of  proportion  and  harmony.  He  not 
only  had  his  juniors  as  his  pupils  ;  but  many,  who  for  a  score  of 
years  had  been  practical  architects  and  mechanics,  were  solicit- 
tous  of  his  instruction,  and  to  some  of  these  he  gave  private 
lessons.  They  all  profitted  by  his  instructions,  knew  well  how 
to  appreciate  his  ability  and  still  retain  a  lively  and  interested 
recollection  of  him."  Mr.  Charles  Wells,  who  was  afterwards 
associated  with  him  as  a  member  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Mon 
ument  Association,  and  still  is  one  of  its  Vice  Presidents,  was 
one  of  his  private  pupils.  During  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Wells,  in  1832,  as  Mayor  of  Boston,  Mr.  Willard  was  employed 
to  design  and  build  the  County  Court  House,  in  Court  street, 
which  was  enlarged  in  1862,  in  a  manner  according  with  the 
original  plan. 


MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD.  45 


CHAPTER  VII. 


NEW  HEATING  APPARATUS  —  THE   HOT-AIR  FURNACE. 


WE  have  seen  that  Mr.  Willard  came  to  Boston  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  and  without  having  served  any  regular  ap 
prenticeship,  soon  became  master  of  his  art,  —  his  third  piece  of 
work  being  one  of  the  most  difficult  in  carpentry.  Devoting 
himself  assiduously  to  labor  and  study,  we  have  found  him  ris 
ing  in  his  pursuits  and  securing  the  means  unaided  to  improve 
his  mind,  cultivate  his  taste  and  qualify  his  hand  for  still  higher 
service.  Taking  lessons  in  art-work,  attending  lectures  in  sci 
ence,  seeking  the  privileges  of  the  best  library  in  Boston,  study 
ing  volumes  of  history  and  of  the  masters  of  design  —  support 
ing  himself  by  his  industry  and  absolutely  lending  his  employer 
money  —  we  soon  see  him  laying  aside  the  broad-axe  and  fore- 
plane  and  occupied  as  a  draughtsman  and  carver.  Architecture 
and  modelling,  sculpture  in  wood  and  stone,  are  next  adopted 
and  successfully  practiced,  while  geology,  anatomy,  chemistry 
and  the  French  language  are  pursued  as  studies,  and  teaching 
a  little  later  almost  as  a  pastime. 

As  much  of  Mr.  Willard' s  attention  for  a  number  of  years 
had  been  given  in  some  form,  to  the  construction  of  buildings, 
both  public  and  private,  it  was  natural  that  he  should  bestow 
some  thought  upon  the  existing  methods  of  warming  these  — 
imperfect,  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory  as  such  methods  were 
admitted  to  be.  Nearly  all  the  fuel  used  for  producing  artificial 


46  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

heat  was  wood,  furnished  from  the  neighborhoods  of  our  cities 
and  towns  and  from  the  almost  boundless  forests  of  Maine.  The 
Franklin  fire-place  and  Count  Rumford's  cooking-ranges,  were 
in  use  in  the  best  dwelling-houses  ;  and  large  cast-iron  stoves, 
with  extensive  pipes  ranging  through  rooms  and  halls,  were .  in 
use  in  the  public  buildings  and  churches.  Some  better  means 
of  warming  these  last  was  even  more  necessary  than  in  private 
dwellings  where  open  fire-places  and  iron  stoves  with  moderate 
lengths  of  pipe  could  still  be  used  with  comparatively  satisfactory 
results.  In  public  halls,  school  houses  and  churches,  large  iron 
stoves  in  the  coldest  weather,  were  kept  at  a  red-heat,  —  thus 
burning  up  and  destroying  the  air  for  all  purposes  of  sustaining 
life,  and  still  failing  to  keep  these  large  apartments  comfortable 
or  maintaining  any  reasonable  equanimity  of  temperature.  Some 
few  merchants  and  others  of  the  wealthy  classes,  were  able  to 
procure  a  supply  of  "  Sea  Coal"  from  England,  for  use  in  their 
counting-rooms  and  perhaps  for  the  parlor  grate,  but  the  total 
amount  of  English  coal  imported  into  the  city  of  Boston,  at  that 
time,  was  a  small  item  in  the  aggregate  amount  of  fuel  used.— 
It  was  not  until  1820,  two  hundred  years  after  the  first  settle 
ment  of  the  country,  that  our  own  immense  supplies  of  coal  were 
developed  and  during  that  year  only  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  tons  of  anthracite  were  used  in  the  whole  country.  It  was 
some  years  after  this  before  it  could  be  used  to  any  considera 
ble  extent,  for  want  of  experience  and  suitable  apparatus :  its 
successful  introduction  required  an  apprenticeship  in  the  consu 
mers  ;  its  use  was  a  new  art ;  it  was  not  easily  ignited  and  the 
traditionary  methods  of  hastening  combustion  in  wood  fires  were 
sure  to  extinguish  one  made  of  stone-coal.  The  lesson,  however, 
was  learned ;  new  apparatus  came  with  the  experience,  and 
the  increasing  use  of  mineral  coal  has  continued  ever  since,  un 
til  it  now  reaches  an  amount  exceeding  in  annual  value  the  sum 
of  twenty  millions  of  dollars. 

It  may  well  be  believed  that  there  was  at  this  time  need  of 
some  improvement  in  the  methods  as  well  as  means  of  warming 


MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD.  47 

and  ventilating  dwelling-houses  and  public  buildings  —  and  the 
earnestness  with  which  these  were  sought  is  manifested  in  every 
letter  and  record  we  have  upon  the  subject.  Numerous  im 
provements  were  made  in  stove-patterns  and  stove-manufacture, 
as.  is  sufficiently  attested  in  the  patent  office,  but  they  were 
stoves  still  and  required  the  usual  quantity  of  pipe  in  exposed 
situations,  and  in  various  ways  increased  the  danger  of  fire.  To 
Mr.  Willard  belongs  the  credit  of  originating  in  this  country 
the  first  step  towards  the  complete,  adequate  and  almost  perfect 
contrivance  of  the  present  day  for  the  production  of  artificial 
heat,  —  namely,  the  Hot-air  Furnace,  —  placed  in  the  basement 
of  the  building,  having  communication  with  the  external  air, 
and  pipes  leading  to  the  various  apartments  to  be  warmed.  — 
The  system  thus  introduced  for  warming  dwelling-houses,  office- 
buildings,  school  houses  or  churches,  easily,  readily  and  equably, 
and  of  obtaining  the  required  ventilation,  was  completely  suc 
cessful.  Progress  and  improvement  had  been  planned  and  made 
upon  the  results  attained  in  the  scientific  experiments  of  Dr. 
Franklin  and  Count  Rumford.  Although  we  do  not  find  that 
Mr.  Willard  ever  obtained  or  applied  for  a  patent  for  his  inven 
tion,  we  are  not  aware  of  any  claim  of  prior  right  existing  in 
conflict  with  that  now  made  for  him.  Many  patents  for  new 
furnaces,  and  for  improvements,  in  both  cases  involving  the  same 
general  plan  and  principles,  have  been  obtained  since  Mr.  Wil 
lard' s  furnaces  were  introduced  —  of  course  all  these  are  design 
ed  for  the  use  of  the  modern  mineral  fuel. 

Mr.  Willard' s  furnaces  were  manufactured  by  Mr.  Daniel 
Safford,  a  well-remembered  mechanic  of  Boston,  at  his  establish 
ment  on  Devonshire  street,  between  Water  and  Milk  streets : 
they  were  made  chiefly  of  wrought  and  sheet  iron,  and  as  we 
have  intimated,  were  intended  for  the  use  of  wood  as  a  fuel.  — 
Two  of  these  were  constructed  in  the  Old  South  Church ;  two 
in  Saint  Paul's  Church ;  one  in  Rev.  Dr.  Lowell's  Church,  and 
one  in  Mr.  Davenport's  factory,  in  the  fall  of  1823.  There  was 
one  in  the  Rev.  Mr.  Coleman's  Church,  in  Salem,  and  the  Rev. 


48  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

Benjamin  Abbott,  of  Exeter,  N.  H.,  (whose  society  had  just  com 
pleted  a  small  church  on  a  plan  furnished  by  Mr.  Willard,)  ap 
plied  for  one  for  that  building.  The  inventor  has  not  left  any 
description  of  this  furnace  or  account  of  his  interest  in  it :  the 
following  letter  from  Mr.  Bulfinch,  two  years  later,  is  the  only 
writing  containing  any  notice  of  it  which  we  have  seen  : 

:c  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  October  8,  1825. 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  I  intended  to  have  called  upon  you  once  more 
before  my  leaving  Boston,  but  was  prevented  by  a  variety  of 
engagements  in  which  I  found  myself  involved.  I  called  ac 
cording  to  your  advice  at  Mr.  Safford's  work-shop.  He  was  not 
within,  but  his  foreman  explained  to  me  the  construction  of  the 
various  parts  of  the  furnaces  now  in  use.  I  also  saw  at  Salem, 
one  set  up  in  Rev.  Dr.  Coleman's  church  —  so  that  I  have  a 
very  complete  general  idea  of  them ;  but  there  are  some  further 
particulars  that  I  wish  to  be  informed  upon,  and  will  thank  you 
to  answer  the  following,  as  soon  as  you  conveniently  can  : 

"  The  dimensions  of  size,  in  breadth  and  height,  of  the  square 
inside  stove  ;  the  same  of  the  external  cover  containing  the  tubes, 
its  base,  its  diameter  in  the  middle  and  its  height. 

"  The  size  of  the  cold-air  tubes — admitted  at  the  bottom — and 
the  best  size  of  the  openings  to  convey  warm-air  to  the  rooms, 
both  for  churches  and  for  private  houses  to  warm  separate  rooms. 
The  size  of  the  openings  in  the  floor  to  promote  circulation,  and 
whether  they  are  necessary  in  every  room. 

"  Is  it  best  to  admit  the  warm-air  near  the  floor  ?  In  Mr. 
Coleman's  church  the  openings  were  about  five  feet  from  the 
floor. 

"  Do  you  find  any  necessity  for  ventilators,  and  how  do  you 
construct  them  ? 

"  What  is  the  difference  in  size,  of  furnaces  for  churches  and 
for  private  houses,  and  the  difference  in  expense? 

"  I  wish  for  information  on  these  points,  because  we  are  about 
taking  measures  for  warming  the  centre  of  the  capital,  and  the 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  49 

President  is  desirous  of  adopting  the  most  approved  mode  for 
warming  the  entrance-hall  of  his  house  :  it  opens  to  the  north 
and  is  not  only  cold  in  itself  but  keeps  the  whole  house  uncom 
fortable.  There  is  a  basement  room  under  this  hall,  in  which  a 
furnace  could  be  set  very  conveniently.  I  want  to  be  able  to 
do  it  in  the  best  manner,  and  to  convey  pipes  to  any  room  where 
they  may  choose  to  admit  them.  In  these  rooms  I  suppose  they 
will  continue  their  open  fires,  but  as  the  rooms  are  very  large  a 
supply  of  warm-air  must  be  very  desirable. 

11  The  dining-room  is  30  by  40,  and  the  banqueting-room  40 
by  90  feet,  and  22  feet  high.  This  large  room  has  never  yet 
been  used. 

"  I  will  thank  you  to  give  the  subject  some  consideration,  and 
to  favor  me  with  all  the  information  that  your  experience  may 
suggest  to  be  necessary  ;  and  the  sooner  the  better,  as  the  season 
is  fast  advancing  upon  us.  You  will  address  your  letter  to  me 
at  Washington,  where  I  expect  to  be  in  the  course  of  this  week. 

"  If  upon  conferring  with  the  President,  after  his  return,  he 
should  determine  upon  having  a  furnace  for  his  house,  I  shall 
write  to  you  again,  and  ask  your  attention  to  having  it  con 
structed  in  the  best  manner  :  and  shall  be  happy  to  return  the 
favor  by  any  means  in  my  power. 

"  Your  friend  and  servant,  CHARLES  BULFINCH." 

We  regret  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  Mr.  Willard's 
reply  to  this  letter,  as  it  would  no  doubt  afford  a  more  distinct 
idea  of  the  construction  and  character  of  the  furnace.  It  is  evi 
dent,  however,  that  it  greatly  resembled  those  in  use  at  the  pre 
sent  time,  and  may  have  been  the  model  on  which  they  are 
constructed.  Some  years  previously  to  this  time  a  stove  had 
been  invented  in  England,  by  Mr.  William  Strutt  of  Belper,  in 
Derbyshire,  which  was  called  the  "  cockle"  or  "Belper"  stove, 
which  included  the  idea  of  the  furnace.  It  was  a  cylinder  stove, 
enclosed  in  a  brick  chamber,  into  which  cold  air  was  admitted 
at  the  bottom  and  heated  air  transmitted  from  the  top  to  the 
7 


50  MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

apartments  to  be  warmed.  In  1792,  Mr.  Strutt  applied  it  to 
warm  his  large  cotton  factories.  An  improvement  of  this  stove 
was  made  by  Mr.  Charles  Sylvester  for  warming  the  Derby  In 
firmary,  and  "was  long  regarded  as  a  model  of  its  kind  for 
a  large  building."*  This  stove,  notwithstanding  the  general  re 
mark  that  the  use  of  heated  air-chambers  for  warming  adjoining 
rooms  is  of  very  ancient  date,  is  the  first  mention  of  any  appara 
tus  resembling  the  modern  furnace  for  the  same  purpose,  which 
we  have  met  with.  Mr.  Willard's  furnace  differed  materially 
from  the  "  cockle,"  being  not  a  stove  but  an  open  fire-place, 
with  flaring  jambs  and  back,  covered  with  a  hexagon  chamber, 
in  which  were  the  tubes,  —  the  whole  enclosed  in  brick  work. 
The  smoke  passed  over  the  jambs  and  out  of  a  smoke  flue  below. 
Mr.  Strutt' s  was  a  cylinder  stove  for  burning  "  Sea  coal." 

Subsequently  to  Mr.  Bulfinch's  letter  above  given,  probably 
in  1827,  two  of  these  furnaces  were  manufactured  by  Safford 
and  Low,  for  the  capitol  at  Washington,  and  their  erection  was 
superintended  by  Mr.  Low,  in  that  year.  It  is  possible  that  these 
were  made  for  the  burning  of  coal.  Some  of  these  furnaces  were 
put  up  by  Mr.  SafFord  as  late  as  1843,  in  interior  places  where 
wood  was  more  easily  obtained  than  anthracite. 

This  furnace,  of  course,  in  the  onward  march  of  improvement, 
has  been  superceded ;  but  for  some  twenty  years,  it  answered 
the  public  wants  and  was  almost  without  a  rival.  The  demands 


*Vide,  "  Treatise  on  Warming  and  Ventilation,"  by  Charles  Tomlinson. 
London,  1858.  Franklin's  and  Count  Rumford's  experiments  and  improve 
ments,  are  explained  and  commented  on  in  this  volume,  but  no  mention  what 
ever  is  made  of  any  of  the  American  anthracite  burning  stoves  or  furnaces  for 
warming  and  ventilating  large  buildings.  Nor  are  these  mentioned  with  any 
particularity  or  described  in  the  "  New  American  Cyclopaedia,"  nor  yet  in  the 
"English  Cyclopaedia,"  1861,  while  these  works  contain  elaborate  rehearsals 
of  early  experiments,  inventions  and  improvements  pertaining  to  the  subject. 
Existing  methods  of  warming  buildings  and  ventilating  rooms,  in  the  United 
States,  by  means  of  hot-air  furnaces,  hot  water  pipes,  or  steam,  can  hardly  be 
learned  from  any  works  which  have  fallen  under  our  observation. 


MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD.  51 

for  it  were  pressing  and  constant,  not  alone  for  public  buildings 
but  for  private  dwellings ;  and  in  their  manufacture  the  work 
men  of  Mr.  Safford's  establishment  were  employed  night  and 
day  exclusively  on  them.  Probably  more  than  one  thousand  of 
them  were  made  and  put  up  —  and  we  have  been  unable  to  dis 
cover  that  Mr.  Willard  ever  received  any  income,  royalty  or  re 
ward  for  his  invention.  Managed  in  the  customary  way,  with 
the  protection  of  a  patent,  it  would  have  proved  a  fortune  to 
him ;  but,  prudent  and  judicious  as  he  was  in  his  expenditures, 
he  was  not  the  man,  by  nature  or  habit,  to  accumulate  property 
for  its  mere  possession.  Such  an  instance  of  unselfishness  and 
indiiference  to  profit,  on  the  part  of  an  inventor,  must  be  of  rare 
occurrence,  and  in  the  present  time,  we  judge,  it  would  not  be 
easy  to  find  one  person  thus  freely  yielding  up  a  fortune  either 
from  indifference  or  for  the  public  benefit.  Mr.  Willard  has 
done  more  than  this  :  he  has  given  the  labor  of  his  whole  life 
to  the  public,  or  individuals,  in  every  way  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged,  having  barely  had  his  own  personal  expenses  paid, 
"  which  were  very  small." 


52  MEMOIR  OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


No  association  which  was  ever  organized  in  Boston  has  more 
conspicuously  illustrated  the  harmony  of  feeling  and  unity  of 
purpose  which  prevailed  at  the  time  and  has  for  many  years 
subsisted  between  the  mercantile  and  the  mechanic  interests,  and 
we  may  add  the  professional  also,  than  the  Boston  Mechanics' 
Institution.  The  evidence  of  this  is  seen  in  its  list  of  mem 
bers,  in  its  organization  and  in  its  whole  history.  It  has  been 
thought  that  there  was,  at  the  commencement  of  the  revo 
lutionary  war,  if  not  during  its  continuance  and  at  its  termina 
tion,  a  feeling  of  opposition  tinctured  with  some  asperity,  be 
tween  the  mechanic  and  the  other  interests  in  Boston,  which  was 
more  or  less  manifested  in  the  civil  and  political  affairs  of 
the  time.  It  was  natural,  perhaps,  that  such  a  feeling  should 
exist,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  mechanics  were  the  first 
and  most  active  in  exciting  and  promoting  the  revolutionary 
spirit ;  which,  of  course,  was  looked  upon  by  the  merchants 
as  destructive  of  the  commerce  and  prosperity  of  the  town,  and 
which  they  were  but  little  inclined  thus  early  to  encourage.  — 
The  "  Liberty  Boys"  were  mostly  mechanics,  or  belonging  to 
the  working  classes ;  the  famous  "Tea  Party"  company  was  sim 
ilarly  composed ;  and  General  Gage  seems  to  have  believed  that 
but  for  the  greater  numbers  of  the  "  lower  classes,"  as  he  called 
them,  the  tea  itself  would  have  been  accepted  and  the  rebellious 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  53 

proceedings  checked  and  possibly  stayed  altogether.  But  the 
purpose  of  the  British  government  to  make  the  colonies  a  source 
of  revenue,  became  more  apparent  ;  broader  views  began  to 
prevail,  and  a  truly  patriotic  feeling  was  soon  engendered  in 
the  minds  of  the  people.  The  different  classes,  if  not  acting 
together  in  the  same  private  meetings,  were  cordially  united 
in  their  purposes  and  measures.  The  mechanics  had  their  clubs  ; 
the  merchants  their  clubs  —  and  resistance  to  British  injustice 
and  coercion  was  the  determination  of  each. 

But  whatever  there  was  of  this  feeling,  at  any  time,  it  was 
local  and  temporary,  and  had  no  deep-seated  foundation  in  the 
sentiments  or  sober  judgments  of  the  people  of  either  class  or 
any  section  of  the  city.  If  it  arose  from  a  difference  of  opinion, 
as  we  have  already  suggested,  it  were  impossible,  in  the  incipient 
movements  of  the  revolutionary  war,  that  there  should  not  be 
divisions  of  opinion  and  honest  doubts  on  the  momentous  ques 
tions  of  the  day,  —  they  were  necessary  to  the  issue,  —  but 
among  those  not  absolutely  tories,  they  were  soon  settled  or 
exploded;  and  the  rebellious  " lower  classes"  were  fully  and 
efficiently  supported  by  the  merchants  and  professional  men.  — 
The  latter  were  privately  invited  to  attend  the  secret  meetings  of 
the  former,  and  the  members  of  these  were  solemnly  sworn  not 
to  communicate  their  proceedings  to  any  persons  excepting  cer 
tain  prominent  individuals,  who  were  of  the  wealthy  and  culti 
vated  classes.  So  that  when  the  revolution  fairly  broke  out, 
the  People  of  Boston, — excepting  their  natural  enemies,  the  civil 
and  military  officers  of  the  crown  and  their  sympathisers,  —  were 
as  a  unit,  and  exerted  their  influence  and  directed  their  strength 
to  the  assertion  and  maintenance  of  their  rights  and  ultimately 
to  secure  the  national  independence.  The  same  spirit  of  har 
mony  and  good  feeling  continued  during  the  war  —  has  been 
repeatedly  and  actively  manifested  since  that  period  —  is  inter 
woven  with  the  domestic  and  political  history  of  the  city  —  and 
finds  a  striking  exemplification  in  the  formation  and  organization 
of  the  Boston  Mechanics'  Institution,  in  which,  notwithstanding 


54  MEMOIR  OF  SOLOMON  WTLLARD. 

its  distinctive  corporate  name,  all  classes  and  professions  were 
united ;  and  those  other  usually  dividing  lines  in  a  community, 
religion  and  politics,  were  not  considered. 

The  Boston  Mechanics'  Institution  was  originated  by  a  few 
gentlemen  in  1826,  and  was  incorporated  in  1827.  The  first 
meetings  were  held  in  a  room  in  Boylston  Hall.  Mr.  Willard 
was  one  of  those  engaged  in  its  formation  and  was  present  at  the 
primary  meetings.  When  the  subscription  of  membership  was 
opened  it  was  at  once  signed  by  Nathaniel  Bowditch,  Daniel 
Treadwell,  David  Moody,  Solomon  Willard,  Alpheus  Carey, 
Amos  Lawrence,  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  William  Sullivan,  Francis 
C.  Whiston,  Charles  W.  Moore,  and  others. 

The  act  of  incorporation  was  accepted  on  the  29th  of  June, 
1827,  and  at  the  election  of  officers  Nathaniel  Bowditch  was 
elected  President ;  Daniel  Treadwell,  David  Moody  and  Solomon 
Willard,  Vice  Presidents ;  Francis  C.  Whiston,  Recording  Sec 
retary  ;  George  B.  Emerson,  Corresponding  Secretary  ;  Stephen 
Fairbanks,  Treasurer,  and  the  following  equally  well-known 
gentlemen  a  Board  of  Directors  :  Ebenezer  Bailey,  George  Bald 
win,  Alpheus  Carey,  Timothy  Claxton,  John  Cotton,  George 
Darracott,  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  Phineas  Dow,  James  K.  Froth- 
ingham  [Charlestown,]  William  Lyman,  Charles  W.  Moore, 
Alexander  Parris,  Charles  C.  Starbuck,  Ezra  Stone  [East  Cam 
bridge.]  William  Sturgis  and  John  W.  Webster.  Mr.  Willard 
at  this  time  was  engaged  in  the  erection  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
M  onument. 

In  the  formation  of  this  Institution,  which  embraced  among  its 
members  clergymen,  professors  in  the  college,  lawyers,  physic 
ians,  merchants  and  traders,  and  numbers  from  the  manufac 
turing  and  mechanical  pursuits,  is  seen  with  nearly  all  its  char 
acteristics,  the  Lyceum;  which  soon  after  occupied  public  atten 
tion  ;  and  in  its  annual  courses  of  lectures  by  its  own  members, 
on  scientific  and  literary  subjects,  the  inauguration  of  the  system 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  55 

of  popular  lectures  which  now  forms  an  essential  feature  in  the 
winter-recreations  of  our  New-England  communities.  On  the 
first  season,  commencing  November,  1827,  the  introductory  lec 
ture  was  delivered  by  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  "  On  the  importance 
to  practical  men  of  scientific  knowledge,  and  on  the  encourage 
ment  to  its  pursuit."  In  this  interesting  and  valuable  lecture 
Mr.  Everett  says,  "The  object  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute  is,  to 
diffuse  useful  knowledge  among  the  mechanic  class  of  the  com 
munity.  It  aims  in  general,  to  improve  and  inform  the  minds 
of  its  members ;  and  particularly  to  illustrate  and  explain  the 
principles  of  the  various  arts  of  life,  and  render  them  familiar  to 
that  portion  of  the  community,  wrho  are  to  exercise  these  arts  as 
their  occupation  in  society.  It  is  also  a  proper  object  of  the  In 
stitute,  to  point  out  the  connexion  between  the  mechanic  arts 
and  the  other  pursuits  and  occupations,  and  show  the  founda 
tions,  wThich  exist  in  our  very  nature,  for  a  cordial  union  be 
tween  them  all."*  The  discourse  was  eminently  calculated  to 
encourage  the  institution  and  promote  its  purposes.  Other  lec 
tures  in  the  course  were  delivered  by  Professors  Farrar  and 
Treadwell,  Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow,  George  B.  Emerson,  and  Gama 
liel  Bradford. 

In  November,  1828,  the  second  course  of  lectures  was  com 
menced  with  an  introductory  discourse  by  Mr.  Daniel  Webster, 
on  the  state  of  the  mechanic  arts,  their  usefulness  and  the  pur 
poses  of  the  institution.  Like  that  of  the  preceding  year,  it  was 
an  eloquent  and  scholarly  production.  In  describing  the  pur 
poses  of  the  institution,  Mr.  Webster  expands  the  view  taken  by 
Mr.  Everett.  The  latter  gentleman,  rightly  enough,  spoke  of 
it  as  intended  to  diffuse  information  among  its  members,  and  to 
promote  a  cordial  union  among  all  the  pursuits  and  occupations 


*  "  Orations  and  Speeches  on  Various  Occasions,  by  Edward  Everett." — 
Boston,  1856.     Volume  i. 


56  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

of  men.     Mr.  Webster  speaks  of  its  purpose,  in  a  far-seeing  and 
almost  prophetic  spirit  : 

"  The  distinct  purpose  is  to  connect  science  more  and  more  with 
art ;  to  teach  the  established,  and  invent  new,  modes  of  combin 
ing  skill  with  strength ;  to  bring  the  power  of  the  human  under 
standing  in  aid  of  the  physical  powers  of  the  human  frame ;  to 
facilitate  the  co-operation  of  the  mind  with  the  hand ;  to  promote 
convenience,  lighten  labor,  and  mitigate  toil,  by  stretching  the 
dominion  of  mind  farther  and  farther  over  the  elements  of  na 
ture,  and  by  making  those  elements  themselves  submit  to  human 
rule,  follow  human  bidding,  and  work  together  for  human  hap 
piness."* 

How  soon  much  of  this  was  realized  by  inventions  and  im 
provements  now  so  familiar  ! 

After  an  eloquent  explanation  of  the  mechanical  powers  and 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  art,  in  speaking  of  the  progress 
of  the  mechanical  arts  —  twenty-five  years  ago  —  Mr.  Webster 
says,  "  The  slightest  glance  .  .  must  convince  us  that  me 
chanical  power  and  mechanical  skill,  as  they  are  now  exhibited 
in  Europe  and  America,  mark  an  epoch  in  human  history  wor 
thy  of  all  admiration.  Machinery  is  made  to  perform  what  has 
formerly  been  the  toil  of  human  hands,  to  an  extent  that  aston 
ishes  the  most  sanguine,  with  a  degree  of  power  to  which  no 
number  of  human  arms  is  equal,  and  with  such  precision  and 
exactness  as  almost  to  suggest  the  notion  of  reason  and  intelli 
gence  in  the  machines  themselves.  Every  natural  agent  is  put 
unrelentingly  to  the  task.  The  winds  work,  the  waters  work, 
the  elasticity  of  metals  works ;  gravity  is  solicited  into  a  thous 
and  new  forms  of  action ;  levers  are  multiplied  upon  levers ; 
wheels  revolve  on  the  peripheries  of  other  wheels  ;  the  saw  and 


*  "  The  Works  of  Daniel  Webster,"  Volume  i. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  57 

the  plane  are  tortured  into  an  accommodation  to  new  uses,  and 
last  of  all,  with  inimitable  power,  and  '  with  whirlwind  sound,' 
comes  the  potent  agency  of  steam.  In  comparison  with  the  past, 
what  centuries  of  improvement  has  this  -single  agent  comprised, 
in  the  short  compass  of  fifty  years  !  Everywhere  practicable, 
everywhere  efficient,  it  has  an  arm  a  thousand  times  stronger 
than  that  of  Hercules,  and  to  which  human  ingenuity  is  capable 
of  fitting  a  thousand  times  as  many  hands  as  belonged  to  Bri- 
areus." 

These  courses  of  lectures  were  continued  with  generaPsuccess 
and  satisfaction  for  some  ten  years.  They  were  popular  and  in 
structive  ;  the  means  of  introducing  a  number  of  lecturers  to  the 
public,  and  afforded  opportunities  of  association  and  intercourse 
which  were  highly  valuable  to  the  members  and  of  much  benefit 
to  the  community.  Mr.  Willard,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  es 
pecially  profitted  by  them,  and  we  have  no  doubt,  many  others 
did  also.  Some  few  books  and  scientific  periodicals  were  collect 
ed  by  the  institution,  and  considerable  valuable  philosophical 
apparatus  was  obtained  from  Europe  and  used  to  illustrate  the 
lectures.  All  these,  together  with  the  records  and  papers  be 
longing  to  the  institution,  were  transferred  to  the  Massachusetts 
Charitable  Mechanic  Association  in  January,  1840,  the  members 
retaining  certain  conditional  rights  in  the  property,  and  entitled 
to  some  privileges  in  the  way  of  membership. 

The  institution  flourished  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  success 
fully  promoting  its  objects  and  preparing  the  way  for  other 
efforts  in  the  same  direction. 


58  MEMOIR    OP  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


MR.  WILLARD'S  GREAT  WORK  —  BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 


THE  great  work  of  Mr.  Willard's  life  —  for  which  he  was 
prepared  by  circumstances  ;  which  comported  with  his  taste  and 
experience ;  into  which  he  threw  his  energy  and  skill  ;  and 
which,  for  the  time,  was  as  a  part  of  himself,  was  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  —  the  grand  national  memorial  of  the  opening 
of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  of  the  principles  involved 
in  that  memorable  contest  for  liberty  and  the  rights  of  man.  — 
As  soon  as  the  subject  of  erecting  a  monument  was  proposed  to 
the  public,  Mr.  Willard  became  interested  in  it.  It  seemed 
at  once  to  seize  upon  his  imagination  and  feelings  —  he  labored 
for  it  in  season  and  out  of  season  —  and  notwithstanding  all  the 
difficulties,  embarrassments  and  delays  in  the  progress  of  the 
work,  he  never  lost  his  interest  in  it  or  failed  to  do  his  utmost  to 
secure  its  completion.  He  did  not  look  upon  it  simply  as  a  work 
of  art,  which  might  be  supposed  to  be  his  stand-point,  but 
regarded  it  as  a  high  patriotic  duty,  sacred  to  the  best  and 
noblest  sentiments  of  our  nature,  and  one  with  which  no 
selfish  or  sordid  purposes  of  popularity  or  profit  should  be 
permitted  to  mingle.  It  was  in  his  mind,  —  as  surely  in  the 
minds  of  those  eminent  men  who  conceived,  and  by  efforts  and 
labors  yet  untold,  promoted  the  enterprise,  —  to  be  a  work  of 
gratitude  —  the  outpouring  of  appreciative  and  grateful  hearts  — 
as  well  as  the  memorial  of  an  event,  however  important  in  -  its 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  59 

consequences.  His  ideas  on  this  subject,  in  some  respects,  were 
peculiar  :  in  order  to  make  the  work  what  it  should  be  —  the 
memorial  of  a  grateful  people  —  he  thought  all  should  contribute 
towards  its  necessary  cost,  according  to.  their  means,  but  he  did 
not  believe  in  asking  for  or  receiving  money  to  pay  a  profit  in 
such  an  undertaking.  In  accordance  with  his  feelings  in  this 
respect,  he  always  refused  for  himself  all  compensation  for  ser 
vices  rendered,  and,  we  think,  to  a  large  extent  also  for  expenses 
incurred,  and  never  sought  for  or  accepted  any  pay  or  profit  in 
any  matter  connected  with  the  work,  either  during  its  erection 
or  afterwards.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  to  undertake  such  a  work 
for  profit,  to  speculate  in  its  contracts,  or  in  any  way  diminish 
or  misdirect  its  funds,  would  not  only  be  a  high  misdemeanor  to 
be  punished  by  statute  and  a  fraud  upon  the  patriotic  contribu 
tors,  but  would  take  from  the  structure  itself  a  part  of  its  sacred 
character  as  a  work  of  gratitude  and  honor.  He  took  an  early 
occasion  to  have  his  views  on  this  subject  known,  as  will  be 
seen  by  his  letter  of  June,  1825,  before  he  was  chosen  archi 
tect  and  superintendent  of  the  work. 

With  these  feelings,  Mr.  Willard's  interest  in  the  monument 
became  devotion  to  it,  and  there  are,  and  have  been,  but  few 
persons  that  know  how  arduous,  continuous,  self-sacrificing  and 
public  spirited  have  been  his  services  in  its  behalf —  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end.  There  are  but  few  persons  if  any,  now 
living,  who  know  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  de 
sign  and  general  plan  of  the  monument  ;  for  the  massive  and 
durable  character  of  its  material  ;  for  the  excellence  and  accu 
racy  of  the  work  ;  for  its  low  cost,  and  finally  for  its  completion, 
with  the  means  originally  and  ultimately  at  the  command  of  the 
association.  Much  of  all  this  remains  untold,  and  it  is  due  to 
him,  and  to  those  with  whom  he  was  associated  in  the  work ;  to 
the  truth  of  history,  and  as  a  faithful  record  of  faithful  services, 
that  they  should  be  stated  and  rendered  as  durable  as  the  monu 
ment  itself,  and  the  deeds  and  principles  it  so  sublimely  com 
memorates.  He  gave  time,  thought  and  labor  to  the  work  —  its 


60  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

preparation,  its  management  and  its  progress,  —  which  as  re 
gards  himself,  money  could  neither  command  or  compensate.  - 
During  his  engagement  upon  it,  he  found  his  best  reward  in  his 
own  breast  and  in  the  approbation  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
associated  in  the  patriotic  service. 

The  first  suggestion  of  the  present  monument  is  credited 
by  Mr.  Everett,  without  contradiction,  to  Mr.  William  Tudor, 
first  editor  of  the  North  American  He  view  ;*  and  it  seems  that 
Gen.  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn  called  attention  to  the  subject  of  the 
battle-field  in  April,  1822,  in  one  of  the  public  papers,  when  a 
"  lot  of  ground  including  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Gen.  Warren,"  was  to  be  sold  at  auction.  He  desired  that 
"  some  patriotic  gentleman  of  wealth  in  the  town  of  Charlestown 
should  purchase  this  American  Marathon  and  have  it  enclosed 
with  a  stone  or  iron  fence,  to  be  held  sacred,  as  the  spot  where 
the  defenders  of  the  Republic  first  met  the  shock  of  battle  '  in 
times  which  tried  men's  souls.'  '  Mr.  Tudor  thereupon  consult 
ed  with  Mr.  Dearborn,  and  the  result  is  stated  as  follows  :  "Dr. 
John  C.  Warren  of  Boston,  purchased  the  land  in  November, 
1822,  and  held  it  until  the  Monument  Association,  subsequently 
formed,  took  it  from  his  hands,  "f  The  Records  of  the  Standing 
Committee,  kept  by  Mr.  Everett,  make  no  reference  to  such  a 
transaction,  but  state,  under  date  of  August  17,  1824,  "  that 
Mr.  Knowles  made  a  report  on  the  subject  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
lands,  exhibiting  the  proposals  which  he  had  received  from  the 
proprietors,  and  estimating  the  sum  required  to  purchase  them 
at  $26,000.  This  report  was  accepted,  and  it  was  voted,  that 
the  same  committee  be  requested  to  proceed  to  make  the  pur 
chase,  and  to  procure  a  loan  of  the  money  required  for  the  same 
on  the  credit  of  the  corporation,  secured  by  the  joint  obligation 
of  such  gentlemen  as  may  be  disposed  to  enter  into  it."  The 
lands  were  purchased  and  the  next  year  rented  as  a  pasture. 


*  Speech  of  May  28,  1833,  in  Faneuil  Hall.     Speeches,  &c.  vol.  i. 
t  Prof.  Packard's  History  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument.      Collections  of 
the  Maine  Historical  Society.     1852. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  61 

The  act  incorporating  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Associa 
tion  was  approved  by  the  Governor,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1823, 
and  was  accepted  by  the  corporation  on  the  13th  of  the  same 
month.  On  the  17th,  by-laws  were  adopted  and  the  officers  for 
the  year  elected.  John  Brooks,  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth, 
was  chosen  President  of  the  association,  and  Daniel  Webster 
first  on  the  list  of  Directors.  In  his  letter  of  acceptance, 
Governor  Brooks  said,  "  the  object  had  always  been  a  desirable 
one  on  his  mind."  Governor  Brooks  had  himself  served  in  the 
revolutionary  war.  He  commanded  a  company  of  minute-men 
at  Reading,  and  was  on  duty  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775  ;  was 
a  Major  in  Col.  Bridge's  regiment  on  the  17th  of  June,  and  as 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  stormed  the  entrenchments  of  the  German 
troops  at  Saratoga. 

In  the  first  "  address  to  the  public,"  probably  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Webster,  published  July  9th,  1823,  the  proposed  erection  of 
the  monument  is  spoken  of  as  follows  : 

"  The  erection  of  some  public  monument  which  should  bear 
lasting  testimony  to  national  gratitude  and  cherish  a  national 
feeling,  has  often  been  the  subject  of  discussion  and  conversation 
in  this  part  of  the  country  ;  but  none  worthy  of  the  name  and 
purposes,  has  yet  been  executed.  It  is  true  that  the  public  rec 
ords,  the  productions  of  the  press,  history  and  poetry,  are  sure 
to  preserve  and  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  the  great  events 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Nevertheless,  some  grand  and 
striking  object,  often  recurring  to  the  sight  and  impressing  the 
mind  with  interesting  associations,  would  be  one,  it  is  thought, 
neither  useless  nor  unworthy  for  the  present  generation  to  rear 

to  the  memory  of  the  past Fortunately  the  scene 

of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  possesses  distinguished  natural  ad 
vantages  for  the  site  of  a  monument.  It  is  high,  conspicuous, 
and  at  present  not  covered  with  buildings. 

"  At  present  it  is  not  practicable  to  define  the  character  or 
magnitude  of  the  monument  which  may  be  erected.  This  must 


62  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

depend  essentially  on  the  extent  to  which  the  feelings  of  the 
country  shall  be  interested  in  the  undertaking.  The  general 
view,  however,  is  to  erect  a  monument  which  shall  be  distin 
guished  by  simplicity  and  grandeur,  rather  than  by  elaborate 
and  elegant  ornaments.  Like  the  events  which  it  is  to  com 
memorate,  we  would  wish  it  to  exhibit  the  character  of  natural, 
inherent,  durable  greatness." 

At  the  expiration  of  a  year,  and  after  the  recurrence  of  the 
annual  meeting,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1824,  a  Standing  Com 
mittee  was  appointed,  composed  of  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  John  C. 
Warren,  Edward  Everett,  George  Blake,  and  Samuel  D.  Har 
ris,  invested  with  authority  "  to  exercise  the  powers  of  the  Di 
rectors  in  managing  the  affairs  of  the  association." 

The  first  meeting  of  this  committee  was  held  at  the  Medical 
College,  on  the  2d  of  August,  1824  :  Gen.  Dearborn,  Chair 
man  |  Mr.  Everett,  Secretary.  The  first  business  before  the 
committee  was  a  proposition  from  the  Washington  Benevolent 
Society  for  transferring  to  the  association  its  property  and  funds, 
and  these  were  subsequently  received.  The  next  matter  of  record 
is  in  the  following  words  :  "  Plans  of  Monumental  Columns, 
drawn  by  Mr.  Willard,  architect,  were  submitted  by  Gen.  Dear 
born,"  with  whom  Mr.  Willard  had  been  in  conference  on  the 
subject.  The  Standing  Committee  managed  the  affairs  of  the 
association  until  April  29,  1825,  —  the  date  of  its  last  meeting, 
but  the  Building  Committee  did  not  have  a  meeting  until  the 
last  of  October  of  that  year. 

Having  shown  his  interest  in  the  work,  in  various  ways,  Mr. 
Willard  was  elected  a  member  of  the  association  in  September, 
1824,  and  received  the  following  notice  of  the  honor  thereby 
conferred  upon  him  : 

"Boston,  September  8,  1824. 

"  Sir  —  You  are  hereby  informed  that  you  have  been  elected 
a  member  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  incorpo- 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WTLLARD.  63 

rated  June  7th,  1823,  for  the  purpose  of  commemorating  the 
early  events  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  especially  for  the 
erection  of  a  Monument  on  the  ground  where  the  action  of  June 
17,  1775,  was  fought. 

t  i  The  intention  of  the  association,  in  electing  you  a  member, 
is  to  obtain  your  influence  and  aid  in  carrying  into  effect  the 
design  of  the  incorporation.  These  you  are  earnestly  solicited 
to  employ  to  the  extent  your  situation  and  opportunity  admit. 
Should  you  decline  becoming  a  member,  you  will  please  to  trans 
mit  a  notice  to  this  effect  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Standing  Com 
mittee  ;  otherwise  you  will  forthwith  receive  a  certificate  of 
membership.  By  order, 

EDWARD  EVERETT, 

Secretary  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  Directors." 

The  certificate  subsequently  received  is  as  follows  : — 
"  Be  it  made  known  by  us,  the  President,  Vice  Presidents  and 
Directors  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  instituted 
in  1823,  for  the  purpose  of  commemorating  the  early  events  of 
the  American  Revolution,  and  especially  for  the  erection  of  a 
Monument  on  the  ground  where  the  action  of  Bunker  Hill  was 
fought  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  that  Solomon  Willard  has 
been  admitted  to  be  a  member  of  this  association,  and  that  this 
is  to  serve  as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  his  having  contributed  to 
the  execution  of  its  patriotic  design. 

"John  Brooks,  President;  T.H.Perkins,  Joseph  Story, 
Vice  Presidents ;  Daniel  Webster,  George  Blake,  Benj.  Gor- 
ham,  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  Edward  Everett,  Samuel  D.  Harris, 
John  C.  Warren,  Seth  Knowles,  Samuel  Swett,  George  Ticknor, 
Theodore  Lyman,  Jr.,  Isaac  P.  Davis,  Jesse  Putnam,  Directors ; 
Nathaniel  P.  Russell,  Treasurer  ;  Franklin  Dexter,  Secretary." 

On  the  24th  of  September,  the  Standing  Committee  publish 
ed  a  circular,  "  explaining  the  objects  of  the  association,"  which 
was  to  be  "  circulated  among  the  members  of  the  community  able 
to  promote  the  design  by  their  aid  and  interest."  We  should  be 


64  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

glad  to  copy  this  able  and  eloquent  paper  at  length  into  these 
pages,  but  for  the  reason  that  it  will  appear  in  a  comprehensive 
history  of  the  monument,  already  in  progress  under  a  vote  of  the 
association.  There  are,  however,  two  or  three  passages  which 
pertain  so  nearly  to  our  subject,  and  which  composed  a  part  of 
the  material  which  artists  would  necessarily  consider  in  making 
a  design  for  the  work,  that  we  feel  justified  in  quoting  them  in 
this  place : 

"  The  spot  itself  on  which  this  memorable  action  took  place, 
is  extremely  favorable  for  becoming  the  site  of  a  monumental 
structure.  Competent  judges  have  pronounced  the  heights  of 
Charlestown  to  excel  any  spot  on  our  coast,  in  their  adaptation 
to  the  object  in  view.  Their  position  between  the  Mystic  and 
Charles,  with  the  expanse  of  the  harbor  of  Boston,  and  its  beau 
tiful  islands  in  front,  has  long  attracted  the  notice  of  the  stran 
ger.  An  elevated  monument  on  this  spot  would  be  the  first 
landmark  of  the  mariner  in  his  approach  to  our  harbor ;  while 
the  whole  neighboring  country,  comprising  the  towns  of  Roxbury, 
Brookline,  Cambridge,  Medford  and  Chelsea,  with  their  rich 
fields,  villages  and  spires ;  the  buildings  of  the  University,  the 
bridges,  the  numerous  ornamental  country  seats  and  improved 
plantations,  the  whole  bounded  by  a  distant  line  of  hills  and 
farming  landscape  which  cannot  be  surpassed  in  variety  and 
beauty,  would  be  spread  out  as  in  a  picture,  to  the  eye  of  the 
spectator  on  the  summit  of  the  proposed  structure. 

"Nor  are  these  the  only  natural  advantages  of  the  spot.  — 
Though  essentially  rural  in  many  of  its  features,  it  rises  above 
one  of  our  most  flourishing  towns,  the  seat  of  several  important 
national  establishments,  where  the  noble  ships  of  war  of  the 
American  Republic  seem  to  guard  the  approach  to  the  spot  where 
her  first  martyrs  fought  and  bled.  Its  immediate  vicinity  to 
Boston,  and  its  convenient  distance  from  Salem,  makes  the  ac 
cess  to  it  direct  from  the  centres  of  our  most  numerous,  wrealthy 
and  active  populations,  and  will  be  the  means  of  keeping  contin- 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  65 

ually  in  sight,  or  bringing  frequently  to  view,  to  the  great 
masses  of  the  community,  the  imposing  memorial  of  an  event 
which  ought  never  to  be  absent  from  their  memory,  as  its  effects 
are  daily  and  hourly  brought  home  to  the  business  and  bosoms 
of  every  American  citizen." 

"  In  forming  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  structure  proposed, 
a  single  eye  has  been  had  to  the  principle  which  dictates  its  erec 
tion.  Everything  separated  from  the  idea  of  substantial  strength 
and  severe  taste  has  been  discarded,  as  foreign  from  the  grave 
and  serious  character  both  of  the  men  and  events  to  be  commem 
orated.  With  this  principle  in  view,  it  has  been  ascertained 
that  a  monumental  column,  of  a  classic  model,  with  an  elevation 
to  make  it  the  most  lofty  in  the  world,  may  be  erected  of  our  fine 
Chelmsford  granite,  for  about  thirty-seven  thousand  dollars."* 

11  The  general  propriety  and  expediency  of  erecting  public 
monuments  of  the  kind  proposed  are  acknowledged  by  all.  - 
They  form  not  only  the  most  conspicuous  ornaments  with  which 
we  can  adorn  our  towns  and  high  places,  but  they  are  the  best 
proof  we  can  exhibit  to  strangers,  that  our  sensibility  is  strong 
and  animated  toward  those  great  achievements  and  greater  char 
acters,  to  which  we  owe  all  our  national  blessings.  There  surely 
is  not  one  among  us  who  would  not  experience  a  strong  satisfac 
tion  in  conducting  a  stranger  to  the  foot  of  a  monumental  struc 
ture,  rising  in  decent  majesty  on  this  memorable  spot. 

"  Works  of  this  kind  also  have  the  happiest  influence  in  ex 
citing  and  nourishing  the  national  and  patriotic  sentiment.  Our 


*  This  estimate  refers  to  the  earliest  sketches  made  by  Mr.  Willard,  of  two 
columns  "  which  had  nearly  the  proportions  of  the  Trajan  and  Aritonine  col 
umns  at  Rome,  excepting  that  the  pedestals  are  higher  in  proportion  than  the 
Trajan  and  lower  than  the  Antonine.'5  They  were  of  less  height  and  less 
diameter  than  the  present  monument,  and  the  estimate  was  for  small  blocks 
and  cheap  construction.  The  Trajan  column  is  106  feet  in  height  with  a  ped 
estal  of  19  feet  ;  that  of  Antoninus  is  96  feet  6  inches  with  a  pedestal  of  26  feet 
6  inches  and  a  statue  of  St.  Paul  on  the  top  of  the  column. 

9 


66  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

government  has  been  called,  and  truly  is  a  government  of  opin 
ion  ;  but  it  is  one  of  sentiment  still  more.  It  is  not  the  judg 
ment  only  of  this  people,  which  dictates  a  preference  for  our 
institutions ;  but  it  is  a  strong,  deep-seated,  inborn  sentiment ;  a 
feeling,  a  passion  for  liberty.  It  is  a  becoming  expression  of  this 
sentiment  to  honor,  in  every  way,  the  memories  and  characters 
of  our  fathers  ;  to  adorn  a  spot  where  their  noble  blood  was  spilt, 
and  not  surrender  it  uncared-for  to  the  plough.  Years,  it  is  to 
be  remembered,  are  rapidly  passing  away  ;  and  the  glorious  tra 
ditions  of  our  national  emancipation  which  we  received  from 
them,  wrill  descend  more  faintly  to  our  successors.  The  patriotic 
sentiment,  which  binds  us  together  more  strongly  than  compacts 
or  constitutions,  will  if  permitted,  grow  cold  from  mere  lapse  of 
time.  We  owe  these  monuments,  therefore,  not  less  to  the  char 
acter  of  our  posterity,  than  to  the  memory  of  our  fathers.  These 
events  must  not  lose  their  interest.  Our  children  and  our  chil 
dren's  children  have  a  right  to  these  feelings,  cherished  and  kept 
by  a  worthy  transmission.  It  is  the  order  of  nature  that  the 
generation  to  achieve  nobly  should  be  succeeded  by  a  generation 
worthily  to  record  and  gratefully  to  commemorate.  We  are  not 
called  to  the  fire  and  the  sword  ;  to  meet  the  appaling  array  of 
armies,  to  taste  the  bitter  cup  of  imperial  wrath  and  vengeance 
proffered  to  an  ill-provided  land.  We  are  chosen  for  the  easier, 
more  grateful,  but  not  less  bounden  duty  of  commemorating  and 
honoring  the  labors,  sacrifices  and  sufferings  of  the  great  men  of 
those  dark  times. 

"  There  is  one  point  of  view,  in  which  we  seem  to  be  strongly 
called  upon  to  engage  in  the  erection  of  works  like  that  proposed. 
The  beautiful  and  noble  arts  of  design  and  architecture  have 
hitherto  been  engaged  in  arbitrary  and  despotic  service.  The 
Pyramids  and  Obelisks  of  Egypt  ;  the  monumental  columns  of 
Trajan  and  Aurelius,  have  paid  no  tribute  to  the  rights  and  feel 
ings  of  man.  Majestic  and  graceful  as  they  are,  they  have  no 
record  but  that  of  sovereignty,  sometimes  cruel  and  tyrannical, 
and  sometimes  mild  :  but  never  that  of  a  great,  enlightened  arid 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  07 

generous  people.  Providence,  which  has  given  us  the  senses  to 
observe,  the  taste  to  admire,  and  the  skill  to  execute,  these  beau 
tiful  works  of  art,  cannot  have  intended  that,  in  a  nourishing 
nation  of  freemen,  there  should  be  no  scope  for  their  ereciion. 
Our  fellow-citizens  of  Baltimore  have  set  us  a  noble  example  of 
redeeming  the  arts  to  the  cause  of  free  institutions,  in  the  impos 
ing  monument  they  have  erected  to  the  memory  of  those  who  fell 
in  defending  their  city.  If  we  cannot  be  the  first  to  set  up  a 
structure  of  this  character,  let  us  not  be  other  than  the  first  to 
improve  upon  the  example  ;  to  arrest  and  fix  the  feelings  of  our 
generation  on  the  important  events  of  an  earlier  and  more  mo 
mentous  struggle,  and  to  redeem  the  pledge  of  gratitude  to  the 
high-souled  heroes  of  that  trying  day." 

This  noble  appeal  to  the  people,  —  in  words  which  cannot  be 
too  often  repeated,  —  could  not  have  been  unheeded  by  them, 
nor  lost  upon  the  artists  of  the  country,  and  especially  not  upon 
Mr.  Willard,  whose  feelings  had  already  been  awakened  in  behalf 
of  the  work.  Those  who  read  its  eloquent  sentences  and  happy 
illustrations,  at  this  day,  will  be  able  to  realize  how  forcibly  and 
truthfully  the  subject  was  presented  in  it,  and  how  clearly  its 
reasonings  have  been  fulfilled  in  the  completion  of  the  work. 

Having  thus  presented  the  subject  to  the  public,  the  next  step 
was  the  initiation  of  active  measures  to  obtain  subscriptions  for 
the  work  through  the  agency  of  the  various  town  authorities,  — 
accordingly  a  circular,  dated  October  1st,  1824,  was  addressed 
to  the  Selectmen  of  all  the  towns  in  the  Commonwealth.  This 
eloquent  paper  recounts  the  causes  of  the  rebellion  and  the 
events  which  preceded  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  remarks 
of  the  battle  and  its  consequences  as  follows  : — 

"  Under  cover  of  the  night  of  the  16th  of  June,  1775,  this 
detachment  proceeded  silently  and  cautiously,  with  such  arms 
and  implements  as  they  had,  and  with  a  very  small  supply  of 
powder,  to  take  possession  of  the  hills,  and  spend  the  night  in 


68  MEMOIR  OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

the  hurried  labor  of  preparing  for  themselves  some  intrenchment, 
against  the  probable  attack  of  the  British.  Poorly  prepared, 
and  wearied  with  labor,  they  met  the  shock  on  the  following  day, 
of  the  picked  and  chosen  men  of  the  British  army  ! 

"  The  consequences  of  the  cool,  undaunted,  astonishing  brav 
ery,  displayed  on  that  day,  we  now  feel  and  enjoy ;  and  they 
will  continue  to  be  felt  and  enjoyed,  so  long  as  we  and  our  de 
scendants  shall  be  worthy  of  the  name  of  Freemen. 

"  It  is  among  these  consequences,  that  we  are  now  the  citizens 
of  a  free  and  independent  republic,  not  the  degraded  and  despis 
ed  subjects  of  despotic  royal  power ; 

"  That  we  live  under  laws  made  by  rulers  chosen  from  among 
ourselves,  not  under  the  orders  of  arbitrary  authority,  enforced 
by  a  ferocious  soldiery  ; 

1  i  That  we  dwell  in  security  in  our  peaceful  homes,  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  our  labor,  instead  of  being  liable  to 
arbitrary  taxation,  and  to  personal  service  in  wars  of  ambition,  in 
which  we  could  have  no  advantage,  though  subject  to  the  most 
distressing  evils ; 

"  That  the  community  of  which  we  are  members,  is  thriving 
and  expanding  with  the  impulses  of  civil  freedom,  not  creeping 
through  an  humble  existence  in  the  constraint  of  colonial  depen 
dence  : 

"  In  short,  that  we  are  citizens  of  a  free,  powerful  and  in 
creasing  nation,  not  a  remote  and  insignificant  appendage  to  a 
kingdom,  and  ruled  by  mandates  issuing  from  a  throne  three 
thousand  miles  from  our  homes. 

"  What  of  gratitude,  reverence  and  affection,  do  we  not  owe, 
fellow-citizens,  to  our  countrymen  who  assembled  and  met  the 
British  on  Bunker  Hill  on  the  Seventeenth  of  June  !  It  is  to 
their  manly  resistance  that  we  owe  the  precious  blessings  we  call 
our  own  :  ALL,  ALL  that  we  hold  dear  !  Had  they  turned  and 
fled,  as  the  British  believed  they  would ;  had  a  panic  spread 
through  the  country  from  their  flight,  might  not  the  germ  of 
liberty  have  been  crushed  in  the  bud ;  and  the  history  of  our 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  69 

country  have  been  stained  with  disgraceful  military  executions, 
instead  of  being  read  as  it  now  is,  with  emotions  of  inexpressible 
thanksgiving  and  praise  ! 

"  It  is  in  honor  of  that  glorious  day  that  it  is  now  proposed 
to  raise  a  monument,  worthy  of  those  we  commemorate,  and  to 
remind  successive  generations  of  the  deeds  of  our  fathers,  and 
to  evince  the  just  and  heartfelt  gratitude  of  the  present  time." 
.  .  .  .  "  Such  a  monument  will  not  only  carry  down  to 
distant  ages  the  memory  of  illustrious  deeds  ;  it  will  also  remind 
the  generations,  as  they  rise,  of  the  origin  of  their  social  rights  ; 
it  will  proclaim  to  them  with  awful  grandeur,  the  sacred  duty  of 
preserving  unimpaired  the  freedom  which  was  purchased  with 
precious  blood." 


70  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHARTER  X. 


SELECTION   OF   A   DESIGN    FOR   THE    MONUMENT. 


AFTER  the  purchase  of  the  land,  in  behalf  of  the  association, 
by  the  Directors,  the  next  great  questions  to  be  considered  were 
as  to  the  plan  of  the  monument  and  the  means  to  meet  its  cost. 
The  gentlemen  who  had  conceived  and  undertaken  the  patriotic 
enterprise  held  frequent  meetings,  and  immediately  adopted  meas 
ures  to  present  the  subject  to  the  public  and  obtain  subscriptions 
and  donations  for  the  work,  as  already  described.  The  interest 
ing  question  of  a  plan  had  of  course  been  spoken  of  incidentally 
and  was  visibly  presented  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Standing 
Committee,  on  2d  of  August,  1824,  by  original  designs  from 
Mr.  Willardj  and  it  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Directors  and 
the  public  until  July,  1825. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Standing  Committee,  on  the  9th 
of  August,  "  Dr.  Warren  having  observed  that  Mr.  Willard 
was  prepared  to  make  a  drawing  on  a  large  scale  of  a  plan 
of  a  monumental  column,  it  was  voted,  that  he  be  requested  by 
the  committee  to  draw  a  plan  which  might  serve  the  purpose  of 
public  exhibition."  "  It  was  also  voted  that  the  same  request 
be  made  to  Mr.  Alexander  Parris,  when  he  shall  have  exhibited 
a  smaller  plan  to  the  committee."  We  have  not  found  that  Mr. 
Parris  submitted  any  "smaller  plan"  to  the  committee,  or  any 
other  plan  until  after  the  offer  of  a  premium. 

The  idea  respecting  the  proposed  monument,  entertained  by 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  71 

the  committee  at  this  time,  may  be  considered  as  embodied  in 
the  following  extract  from  the  circular  of  October,  1824  : 

"  It  is  the  design  of  the  corporation  to  erect  a  column  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height ;  of  hewn  granite,  containing 
in  its  centre  a  circular  stairway,  by  which  it  may  be  ascended 
to  the  top."  .  .  .  "  As  it  will  commemorate  the  greatest 
event  in  the  history  of  civil  liberty,  it  should  be,  and  shall  be, 
the  grandest  monument  in  the  world."  This  announcement,  of 
course,  would  naturally  lead  artists  who  might  be  considering  the 
subject,  to  suppose  that  the  committee  had  determined  upon  the 
form  of  the  monument  —  a  column  ;  its  height  —  two  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  ;  the  mode  of  ascent,  by  circular  stairs,  and  the 
material  —  hewn  granite,  —  and  that  the  only  matter  undecided 
was  its  diameter.  But  the  committee  had  not  yet  called  upon 
the  artists  of  the  country  to  offer  designs  for  the  work. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  it  was  "  Voted,  that  Mr.  Willard 
be  and  he  hereby  is  authorised  to  draw  a  plan  of  a  monument, 
projected  on  a  large  scale,  to  be  painted  for  the  purpose  of  exhi 
bition  to  the  legislature  and  the  citizens  of  Boston  and  vicinity." 
This  plan  was  executed  agreeably  to  the  request  of  the  commit 
tee,  and  proved  to  be  satisfactory,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  vote 
and  correspondence  which  followed. 

On  the  17th  of  January,  1825,  the  Standing  Committee  ac 
cepted  the  form  of  an  advertisement  for  a  "plan,"  offering  a 
premium  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  best  design  which  should 
be  accepted.  The  committee  desired  to  avail  itself  of  the  artistic 
skill  of  the  country,  and  received  in  response  to  their  call  about 
fifty  designs  of  different  styles  and  characteristics,  a  portion  of 
which  are  yet  preserved  among  the  archives  of  the  association, 
but  no  one  of  them  was  ever  accepted  by  the  Directors,  nor  was 
the  premium  offered  ever  awarded. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  in  the  Standing  Committee,  it  was 
"Voted,  that  the  Secretary  address  a  letter  of  thanks  to  Mr. 
Solomon  Willard,  soliciting  permission  to  keep  his  plan  and  to 


72  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

compensate  him  for  his  trouble."     Mr.  Everett's  letter  to  Mr. 
Willard  is  as  follows  :— 

"  Cambridge,  March  22,  1825. 

"  Dear  Sir,  — I  beg  leave  to  inform  you,  that  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Associ 
ation,  on  the  16th  instant,  the  following  vote  was  unanimously 
passed  : — 

"  That  the  thanks  of  the  Committee  be  expressed  to  Mr.  S. 
Willard  for  the  preparation  of  a  very  beautiful  plan  of  a  monu 
mental  column  at  their  request  ;  that,  though  the  Committee 
have  felt  it  their  duty,  at  this  stage  of  the  business,  in  discharge 
of  a  public  trust,  to  make  a  general  advertisement  to  the  artists 
of  the  country,  yet  nothing  is  farther  from  their  purpose  in  so 
doing,  than  to  undervalue  the  very  beautiful  plan  prepared  by 
Mr.  Willard,  whose  services  on  this  occasion,  the  Committee 
highly  appreciate  and  desire  to  acknowledge  by  ample  and  hon 
orable  compensation. 

"  Permit  me,  dear  sir,  in  communicating  this  vote,  to  offer 
you  my  private  tribute  of  thanks  for  the  display  of  talent,  science 
and  taste,  in  the  plan  prepared  by  you. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

EDWARD  EVERETT, 

Secretary  of  the  Committee." 
The  following  is  Mr.  Willard' s  reply  : 

<>  Boston,  April  llth,  1825. 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  I  did  not  receive  your  note  of  the  22d  of  March 
until  this  evening.  As  I  do  not  often  call  at  the  post  office,  it 
had  remained  there  until  sent  to  me  by  the  post. 

"  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  have  the  Committee  suppose  that 
I  question  the  propriety  of  their  advertising  for  designs.  On  my 
own  account  merely,  I  should  have  preferred  knowing  their  in 
tentions  at  the  outset,  as  I  might  thereby  have  avoided  commit 
ting  myself,  and  have  chosen  a  course  that  might  have  been  more 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  .    73 

successful.  It  requires  some  management  to  make  and  exhibit 
a  design  which  will  please  the  multitude.  The  purest  design 
does  not  make  the  most  catching  picture,  and  an  artist  who  in 
tends  to  succeed  in  such  a  case  should  .not  draw  what  he  thinks 
it  proper  to  build,  but  that  which  he  thinks  will  please.  The 
design  should  be  light  and  fanciful  and  the  drawing  deceptive 
and  highly  colored. 

"  I  am  not  insensible  to  the  honor  that  has  been  conferred  on 
me  by  the  Committee,  and  if  my  slender  efforts  have  been  of  any 
service,  they  are  entirely  welcome.  As  respects  the  sketches. 
I  think  it  due  to  myself  to  state  that  they  were  made  under 
great  disadvantages. 

"  Yours,  respectfully,  SOLOMON  WILLARD." 

Up  to  this  time,  notwithstanding  the  many  suggestions  which 
had  been  made  and  the  various  designs  offered,  the  impression 
appears  to  have  been  in  favor  of  a  monumental  column,  in 
preference  to  any  other  form.  The  subject  had  been  for  a 
long  time  and  yet  continued  to  be  discussed  in  the  Board  of 
Directors,  among  the  people,  and  in  the  public  papers,  and 
numerous  plans  were  proposed.  The  Board  of  Directors  was 
composed  of  distinguished  gentlemen  —  lawyers,  scholars  and 
artists ;  and  the  discussion  was  so  full  and  thorough  that,  if 
learning,  ability  and  a  desire  to  arrive  at  a  wise  conclusion  could 
secure  a  wise  result,  it  wras  scarcely  possible  that  a  mistake 
could  be  committed. 

No  less  than  three  committees  of  the  Board  of  Directors  were 
appointed  on  this  subject.  On  the  5th  of  April,  it  was  resolved 
that  a  final  decision  "  in  regard  to  the  kind  of  monument  to  be 
erected  shall  be  made  only  at  a  meeting  of  the  Directors  warned 
by  special  notice  to  each  individual  and  also  by  advertisement  in 
two  newspapers  in  Boston,  twenty  days  before  the  time  of  such 
meeting."  It  was  also  resolved,  "that  whenever  the  Directors 
shall  judge  [it]  expedient  to  take  measures  to  come  to  a  decision 
in  regard  to  the  kind  of  monument  to  be  erected,  they  shall  elect 
10 


74  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

a  board  to  whom  shall  be  submitted  all  plans  and  designs  which 
may  be  presented,  in  order  that  this  board  may  give  an  opinion 
as  to  the  superiority  of  any  plan  or  design  thus  presented  ;  and 
further  that  said  board  of  artists  be  requested  to  give  their 
opinion  in  regard  to  any  other  plan  which  may  occur  to  them, 
besides  those  which  may  have  been  laid  before  them  by  the 
Directors." 

FIRST  COMMITTEE   ON   THE    DESIGN. 

It  was  determined  that  this  board  should  consist  of  seven 
members,  and  the  Standing  Committee  was  requested  to  make 
the  nomination  :  This  committee  nominated  the  five  following 
gentlemen,  viz.  Paniel  Webster,  Gilbert  Stuart,  Washington 
Allston,  Loammi  Baldwin  and  George  Ticknor,  —  a  constellation 
of  eminent  men,  statesmen,  scholars  and  artists,  equal  to  the  full 
discussion  and  final  decision  of  a,ny  question  that  may  be  pre 
sented  to  a  committee,  in  law,  literature  or  art.  The  report  of 
the  committee  was  accepted,  "  both  as  to  the  persons  named  and 
the  number  of  them." 

To  this  "board  of  artists"  fell  the  duty  of  examining  the 
designs  offered  for  the  premium,  and  on  the  12th  of  April  the 
following  proceedings  took  place  : 

"  A  report  in  part  was  made  by  the  committee  appointed  at 
the  last  meeting  to  examine  plans  for  the  monument,  &c. 

"  Ordered  that  this  report  be  laid  on  the  table  ;  that  the  fur 
ther  consideration  thereof  be  postponed  to  the  next  meeting,  and 
that  the  committee  have  leave  to  make  a  further  report. 

"  Ordered  that  the  same  committee  be  requested  to  report 
which  of  the  plans  submitted  be  entitled  to  the  premium  of  one 
hundred  dollars,  as  the  best  submitted  plan."  [The  committee 
were  not  previously  instructed  in  this  matter.] 

At  the  next  meeting,  on  the  26th  of  April,  the  following  pro 
ceedings  took  place : 

"  A  report  was  made  by  the  committee  on  the  subject  of 
awarding  a  premium  to  the  author  of  the  best  plan  or  model.  — 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  75 

On  motion  and  after  discussion  of  the  principles  of  the  report, 
it  was  voted  to  lay  this  report  on  the  table."  [It  does  not  appeal- 
that  this  report  included  a  decision  in  regard  to  the  premium, 
nor  that  the  report  itself  was  ever  farthej  considered.] 

"  Voted  that  a  meeting  of  the  Directors  be  notified  for  19th 
of  May,  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  on  a  plan  of  a  monument." 


SECOND    COMMITTEE   ON    THE    DESIGN. 


On  the  19th,  "the  proceedings  of  the  last  meeting  having  been 
read,  a  discussion  arose  upon  the  subject  for  which  the  present 
meeting  was  called,  viz  :  the  plan  of  a  monument.  After  debate 
it  was  voted,  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  report  the 
plan  of  an  obelisk,  and  also  of  a  column,  with  estimates  of  the 
expense  of  each.  That  this  committee  consist  of  the  following 
gentlemen  :  II.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  Edward  Everett,  Seth  Knowles, 
Samuel  D.  Harris,  and  Thomas  II.  Perkins." 

On  the  7th  of  June,  ten  days  only  before  the  great  initiation- 
ceremony  was  to  take  place,  the  question  had  practically  come 
to  be  between  a  monumental  column  and  an  obelisk  :  The  fol 
lowing  were  the  proceedings  as  recorded  : 

"  The  committee  appointed  to  report  a  plan  of  an  obelisk  and 
of  a  column,  with  estimates  of  the  expense  of  each,  made  a 
statement  on  the  subject,  by  General  Dearborn,  their  chairman. 
This  statement  is  placed  on  the  files  of  the  association."  [It  is 
not  now  to  be  found  ;  but  was  no  doubt  in  favor  of  a  column,  as 
the  votes  of  a  majority  of  the  committee  indicate.] 

"  A  proposition  was  then  made  and  supported,  which  was  as 
follows  :  That  the  Directors  of  this  Association  do  now  decide 
on  and  adopt  a  column  as  the  form  of  the  object  for  the  propos 
ed  monument. 

"  This  proposal  having  been  discussed  at  great  length,  the 
question  was  finally  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  each  Director 
being  called  on  in  turn,  answered  as  follows  : 

"  Yeas :  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  George  Blake,  Samuel  D.  Harris, 
Jesse  Putnam,  Seth  Knowles,  —  5. 


76  MEMOIR    OP   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

"Nays  :  Daniel  Webster,  President,  Joseph  Story,  Vice  Pre 
sident,  Nathan  Appleton,  Loammi  Baldwin,  Isaac  P.  Davis, 
Amos  Lawrence,  Samuel  Swett,  William  Sullivan,  David  Sears, 
George  Ticknor,  John  C.  Warren,  — 11. 

"  So,  there  being  five  in  the  affirmative  and  eleven  in  the 
negative,  the  proposition  was  rejected. 

"  It  was  then  Voted,  That  the  form  of  an  obelisk  shall  be 
adopted  for  the  proposed  monument ;  or  in  other  words,  a  pyra 
midal  structure  such  as  may  hereafter  be  agreed  on." 


THIRD   COMMITTEE   ON   THE   DESIGN. 


' '  A  committee  was  then  chosen  by  ballot  to  report  a  design  of 
an  obelisk,  or  pyramidal  structure ;  and  to  consider  and  report 
on  the  subject  generally. 

"  This  committee  consisted  of  the  following  gentlemen,  viz  : 
Loammi  Baldwin,  George  Ticknor,  Jacob  Bigelow,  Washington 
Allston,  and  Samuel  Swett." 

While  this  committee  had  the  subject  in  consideration,  the 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  monument  took  place, 
on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  battle  —  arrangements  having 
been  hastened  for  the  purpose  of  marking  the  half-century,  and 
also  to  secure  the  august  presence  of  General  Lafayette,  at  the 
time  the  guest  of  the  nation. 

At  the  meeting  on  the  24th  of  June,  "  The  chairman  of  the 
committee  to  present  the  design  of  an  obelisk  stated  that  he 
should  be  ready  to  report  in  about  ten  days." 

July  1, 1825.  "  A  report  from  the  committee  on  the  plan  of 
the  monument  was,  in  the  absence  of  Colonel  Baldwin,  chairman 
of  the  committee,  read  by  Mr.  Ticknor,  and  after  a  short  discus 
sion,  the  further  consideration  of  the  same  was  referred  to  the 
next  meeting  of  the  directors." 

July  5.  u  After  a  short  discussion,  it  was  voted,  nem.  con. 
to  accept  the  report  of  the  committee  on  the  plan  of  the  monu 
ment." 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  77 

These  are  the  proceedings  of  the  Directors  as  they  stand  upon 
the  records.  It  having  been  determined,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  whole  board,  "  that  the  form  of  an  obelisk  shall  be  adopted, 
or  in  other  words,  a  pyramidal  structure,  such  as  may  hereafter 
be  agreed  on,"  the  remaining  questions  relative  to  its  propor 
tions,  height  and  accessories,  (although  settled,  in  a  general 
way,  by  publications  already  made,  and  by  plans  prepared  by 
Mr.  "Willard,  to  test  the  question  of  cost,)  were  finally  determin 
ed  by  the  acceptance  of  the 


FINAL   REPORT   OF    COLONEL   BALDWIN. 


We  have  obtained  the  original  of  Colonel  Baldwin's  report,— 
one  of  the  few  papers  of  importance  which  have  been  preserved 
among  what  are  by  courtesy  called  "  the  archives  of  the  associa 
tion."  It  recommends  "an  obelisk  or  frustum  of  a  quadran 
gular  pyramid,  the  base  of  wThich  shall  be  a  square  of  thirty  feet 
on  each  side,  to  rise  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  from  the  plat 
form  or  ground  on  which  it  is  to  be  erected,  to  be  surmounted 
with  an  apex  having  its  upper  angle  ninety  degrees,  and  to  be 
fifteen  feet  square  at  the  top,  agreeably  to  the  plans  and  section 
herewith  presented." 

It  further  recommends,  1 1  that  its  four  faces  shall  be  respec 
tively  opposite  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  and  the 
north  and  south  faces  shall  intersect  at  right  angles,  the  plane  of 
the  meridian  passing  through  the  axis  of  the  monument." 

Also  that  the  foundation  shall  be  twelve  feet  in  depth  and  fifty 
feet  square,  with  offsets,  and  built  of  stones  of  large  dimensions ; 
and  that  in  order  to  obtain  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  soil,  &c. 
it  is  expedient  to  sink  a  well  near  the  proposed  site. 

That  the  site  shall  be  carefully  examined,  "  to  ascertain  at 
what  level,  in  relation  to  the  surface  of  the  hill  about  it,  the 
platform  should  be  fixed,  so  that  in  forming  the  terre-plein,  or 
suitable  and  convenient  area  round  the  monument,  an  economical 
disposition  of  the  earth  shall  be  obtained.  .  .  .  Upon  this 
point  the  committee  consider  it  very  essential  to  preserve  as  high 


78  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON  WILLAED. 

a  level  for  the  platform  as  the  nature  of  the  land  will  admit, 
consistent  with  that  easy  approach  to,  and  promenade  round,  a 
public  monument  of  so  much  grandeur  and  importance." 

That  "  the  obelisk  shall  be  erected  of  the  dimensions  and  pro 
portions  and  in  the  manner  represented  in  the  plan  and  section 
of  the  drawing  herewith  presented,"  —the  general  outlines  of 
which  are  described  and  have  been  mainly  folloAved  in  the  struc 
ture  as  now  completed. 

The  report  also  recommends  that  contracts  be  made  for  sup 
plying  the  material,  making  the  excavations,  dressing  and  ham 
mering  the  stones,  &c.,  but  that  the  erection  of  the  obelisk  shall 
be  "  entrusted  to  the  care  and  superintendence  of  an  experienced 
stone-mason,  of  known  industry  and  integrity,  and  the  work  to 
be  performed  by  hired  workmen  under  his  direction." 

That  "some  skilful  architect  should  be  employed,  in  whom 
the  public  as  well  as  the  board  may  justly  have  confidence,  who 
shall  make  and  prepare  the  detailed  and  working  plans,  and  who 
shall  see  that  the  execution  of  the  monument  shall  be  through 
out,  faithfully  and  substantially  performed,  agreeably  to  the 
plans  and  directions  to  be  adopted  and  delivered  by  the  board, 
or  a  committee  by  them  appointed  for  that  purpose." 

The  report  further  recommends  the  appointment  of  a  Building 
Committee  of  three  members,  with  full  authority  to  employ 
an  architect,  make  contracts,  &c.  By  a  vote  of  the  Directors 
the  number  was  increased  to  five. 

After  the  completion  of  the  monument,  "and  not  before," 
the  committee  recommend  around  the  obelisk,  "a  firm  platform 
of  broad,  well-hammered  stones,  resting  on  foundation  walls,  and 
extending  to  the  distance  of  twenty  feet  from  each  face  of  the 
building,  having  at  the  exterior  boundary  three  steps,  of  not 
more  than  eight  inches  rise  each,  running  round  the  whole  plat 
form."  This  terre-plein^  it  is  suggested,  should  now  be  con 
structed  according  to  the  original  design. 

In  concluding  their  report  the  committee  state  that  "  several 
other  propositions  have  been  examined,  which  presented  dimen- 


MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD.  79 

sions  and  proportions  varying  from  those  of  the  plan  they  herein 
recommend.  One  scheme  was  to  preserve  the  relative  propor 
tion  of  base  and  top,  and  to  make  the  base  a  square  of  forty  feet 
and  the  top  twenty  feet.  Another  was  to  enlarge  the  base  to 
forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  give  the  top  a  proportionally  smaller  area, 
so  as  to  present  an  outline  more  distinctly  pyramidal ;  but  your 
committee  having  taken  into  consideration  the  funds  already 
provided  or  probably  attainable,  as  well  as  the  practical  compli 
ance  with  the  general  wishes  of  the  board  and  the  public,  had  no 
hesitation  in  adopting  the  plan  recommended,  as  the  one  most 
likely  to  be  finally  and  satisfactorily  accomplished." 

The  following  copy  of  a  letter  shows  that  pending  the  discus 
sion,  an  obelisk  had  been  suggested  by  Mr.  Ticknor,  and  also 
what  Mr.  Willard's  views  were  upon  the  subject : 

"  Dear  Sir,  — I  have  made  another  slight  sketch  of  the  obe 
lisk  you  suggested.  I  have  supposed  that  the  monument  would 
be  enclosed  by  an  iron  fence  and  have  sketched  the  frustums  of 
pyramids,  in  the  Egyptian  style,  at  the  angles,  which  may  serve 
as  accompaniments  and  also  for  a  lodge,  watch  house,  &c.  The 
obelisk  and  base  is  as  sketched  before,  with  the  addition  of  a 
broad  platform  and  a  subterranean  entrance. 

"  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  any  of  the  three  figures 
which  have  been  proposed,  if  well  designed,  would  make  a  re 
spectable  monument.  The  obelisk  I  have  always  preferred  for 
its  severe  cast  and  its  nearer  approach  to  the  simplicity  of  nature 
than  the  others.  The  column  might  be  more  splendid.  The 
character  of  the  obelisk,  without  a  pedestal,  seems  to  me  to  be 
strictly  appropriate  for  the  occasion  and  I  think  would  rank  first 
as  a  specimen  of  art  and  be  highly  creditable  to  the  taste  of 
the  age. 

11  Yours,  respectfully, 

"  George  Ticknor,  Esq.  SOLOMON  WILLARD." 


80  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

In  the  report  of  the  Building  Committee,  made  the  next  year, 
June  17,  1826,  referring  to  the  presentation  to  them  of  a  plan 
11  of  an  edifice  in  the  form  of  a  Gothic  church,"  it  is  said : 

"  While  this  committee  were  disposed  to  give  their  respectful 
attention  to  the  representation  alluded  to,  they  could  not  take  a 
measure  of  any  description  thereon.  Whatever  the  individual 
opinions  of  this  committee  may  have  been,  they  are  sensible  that 
the  design  had  the  sanction  of  two  Boards  of  Directors  in  two 
different  years ;  that  it  underwent  discussions  perhaps  without 
example  in  this  country,  if  the  time  and  labor  employed  in  them 
are  considered,  and  the  talents  of  those  who  took  part  in  them, 
are  estimated  as  they  should  be.  Moreover  it  has  seemed  to 
them,  so  far  as  they  have  been  able  to  judge,  that  the  choice  of 
the  Directors  has  been  sanctioned  by  public  opinion,  as  fully  as 
any  design  of  this  description  ever  wras  or  can  be." 

During  the  whole  period  of  discussion  and  action,  on  the  sub 
ject  of  a  design  for  the  monument,  Mr.  Willard  appears  to  have 
been  on  the  most  intimate  terms  with  the  Standing  Committee, 
the  Directors  and  the  several  committees  of  the  association  to 
wrhose  consideration  it  was  successively  referred.  He  was  free 
ly  and  constantly  consulted  by  them  and  not  only  sketched  out 
lines  of  various  designs  but  prepared  one  or  more  models  of  his 
plans  for  their  use.  His  views  of  the  matter  are  shown  in  the 
following  remarks : 

"  The  general  dimensions  of  the  obelisk  that  was  adopted  were 
thirty  feet  at  the  base,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high  ; 
with  stairs  to  the  top ;  and  a  foundation  twelve  feet  deep  and 
fifty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  bottom.  The  directors  would  have 
preferred  a  structure  of  greater  magnitude,  had  the  state  of  the 
finances  warranted  it. 

"  In  order  to  ascertain  the  size  of  the  largest  obelisk  that  could 
be  safely  undertaken,  estimates  were  made  of  the  expense  of 


MEMOIR    OP    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  81 

three,  of  different  dimensions  ;  all,  however,  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  in  height. 

"  An  estimate  was  made  for  one  of  fifteen  feet  base,  with  a 
pedestal,  in  imitation  of  one  of  the  Roman  antiquities.  Another 
estimate  was  made  for  one  of  the  dimensions  finally  adopted ; 
and  a  third  for  one  of  forty  feet  base.  But  after  mature  consid 
eration,  it  was  decided  that  one  of  thirty  feet  base  was  as  large 
as  could  be  safely  undertaken  with  the  means  at  disposal. 

"  It  will  be  perceived,  therefore,  that  the  size  of  the  obelisk 
had  necessarily  to  conform  to  the  means  available ;  and  it  was 
so  decided  by  the  committee  on  the  designs.  But  whatever  re 
lated  to  the  form  and  arrangement  of  the  details  —  the  construc 
tion,  and  mode  of  carrying  the  work  into  execution  —  was  left 
entirely  to  the  architect  and  superintendent  of  the  work."* 


*  "  Plans  and  Sections  of  the  Obelisk  on  Bunker's  Hill,  with  details  of  the 
Experiments  made  in  quarrying  the  Granite.  By  S.  Willard,  Architect  and 
Superintendent  of  the  work."  Boston,  1843.  Quarto,  pp.  31. 


11 


82  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON  WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


AUTHORSHIP   OF   THE   DESIGN   FOR   THE   MONUMENT. 


WE  have  given  in  the  preceding  chapter  as  full  an  account  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  regarding  the  design 
or  plan  of  the  monument,  as  their  records  allow.  It  is  incom 
plete  and  unsatisfactory,  affording  no  decisive  evidence  as  to  the 
authorship  of  the  design  or  of  the  part  several  persons  are  said 
to  have  had  in  its  production  —  its  suggestion  or  modification. 
We  have  never  supposed  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  credit 
due  to  any  one  person,  or  in  fact  to  any  number  of  persons,  for 
the  mere  form  of  the  monument,  since  it  is  entirely  without  any 
claim  to  originality  of  design,  and  if  it  is  indicative  of  genius  in 
this  respect,  it  belongs  to  a  remote  antiquity.  The  form  of  a 
column  is  nature's  own,  exhibited  in  almost  endless  proportions 
in  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  the  form  of  an  obelisk  —  simply  mak 
ing  the  column  quadrangular  —  is  so  readily  accomplished  that, 
though  not  simultaneous,  must  have  soon  succeeded  the  column, 
wherever  either  was  applicable  in  art  or  architecture.  The  only 
claim  that  can  be  set  up  in  relation  to  the  design  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  is  for  the  first  suggestion,  not  for  the  copying 
of  any  particular  form,  or  expanding  the  proportions  of  any  par 
ticular  structure.  So  far  as  the  external  form  of  the  monument 
is  concerned,  the  merit  of  that  belongs  not  to  the  builders  of 
the  present  age.  Nevertheless  there  are  those  who  claim  the 
design,  for  themselves  or  others,  and  also  the  reward  publicly 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  83 

offered  by  the  Directors.  And  still  there  is  no  pretension  of 
originality,  unless  it  be  in  some  additions  or  ornamentations,  all 
of  which  were  rejected. 

The  obelisk  form,  in  contradistinctiQn  to  a  monumental  col 
umn,  was  not  the  suggestion  of  a  single  mind,  but  was  present 
ed  to  the  committee,  from  two  or  three  sources,  as  appears  from 
Mr.  Willard's  letter  to  Mr.  Ticknor,  already  quoted,  and  the 
report  of  the  Building  Committee  of  1826.  In  the  course  of  the 
discussion  in  the  Board  of  Directors,  which  was  continued  so 
long  and  sustained  with  so  much  ability,  learning  and  investiga 
tion,  the  merits  of  the  various  forms  were  elaborately  presented, 
and  when  the  vote  was  proposed  the  minds  of  all  were  made  up 
and  the  result  showed  a  decision  not  again  to  be  disturbed,  —  the 
friends  of  the  obelisk  form  were  more  than  two  to  one.  Of  the 
second  committee,  of  which  General  Dearborn  was  the  chairman, 
three  members  voted  in  favor  of  a  monumental  column  and  the 
two  other  members  did  not  vote  on  the  question. 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Willard  made  the  earliest  designs  for 
the  monument,  before  the  offer  of  a  premium,  which  were  exhib 
ited  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Standing  Committee,  and  there  is 
satisfactory  evidence  in  the  bound  volume  of  designs  and  plans,* 
preserved  by  the  association,  that  he  made  the  last,  which  was 
adopted,  and  in  strict  conformity  with  which  the  monument  has- 
been  constructed  ;  and  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  and 
claimed  on  the  subject,  for  modifications  and  improvements,  is  in 
wonderful  conformity  with  the  earliest  ideas  entertained  and 
published  by  the  friends  of  the  enterprise. 

We  have  no  disposition  to  claim  for  Mr.  Willard  what  he  did 
not  think  it  necessary  to  claim  for  himself;  and  what  we,  with- 


*  There  is  in  this  volume  a  large  plan,  drawn  by  Mr.  Willard,  which  is 
undoubtedly  the  plan  reported  by  Colonel  Baldwin.  It  shows  a  section  of  the 
whole  structure,  from  foundation  to  cap-stone,  with  the  interior  and  exterior 
walls,  the  courses  of  the  foundation,  the  circular  steps,  and  also  a  ground  plan 
of  the  foundation  —  precisely  as  delineated  in  Mr.  Willard's  printed  volume. — 
In  conformity  wtih  this  design  the  working  plans  were  made. 


84  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

out  any  intention  to  underrate  the  importance  of  the  question  of 
a  design,  esteem  of  less  moment  than  some  others,  on  the  score 
of  merit.  But  it  is  very  clear,  we  think,  that  the  merit,  what 
ever  that  may  be,  of  the  design  as  finally  adopted  and  carried 
out,  belongs  chiefly  to  Mr.  Willard,  by  whom  it  was  reached 
through  what  was  very  nearly  an  experimental  process.  In 
the  greater  merit  of  the  work,  —  the  construction,  —  of  which 
we  shall  speak  hereafter,  Mr.  Willard' s  claims  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  question  or  cavil. 

The  premium  offered  by  the  Directors  for  the  best  design  sub 
mitted,  was  never  awarded,  and  the  action  of  the  board  in  regard 
to  it  indicates  that  no  one  of  the  competitors  was,  in  their  judg 
ment,  entitled  to  receive  it.  The  premium  proposed  was  one 
hundred  dollars,  and  the  only  money  paid,  (Mr.  Willard  de 
clined  to  charge  or  receive  anything  for  the  various  services 
rendered  by  him,)  on  account  of  the  design,  was  the  amount  of 
fifty  dollars  paid  to  Captain  Alexander  Parris,  "  For  plans  and 
estimates  made  for  the  intended  monument,  made  by  direction  of 
H.  A.  S.  Dearborn." 

The  reader  will  not  be  surprised,  after  what  has  been  said, 
to  know  that  the  question  of  the  authorship  of  the  design  is  by 
some  parties  smartly  controverted,  —  though  we  know  of  no 
pretensions  that  can  for  a  moment  exclude  those  of  Mr.  Willard. 
The  following  letter  to  Mr.  Ticknor,  and  the  enclosure  from  Mr. 
Mills,  on  this  subject,  form  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  work  and 
are  deemed  proper  for  insertion  in  this  place  : 

"  Boston,  October  4th,  1832. 

"  Sir,  —  The  enclosed  is  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  R.  Mills,  a 
respectable  architect  residing  at  the  south,  and  will  speak  for 
itself.  It  was  put  into  my  hands  some  months  ago,  and  I  have 
sent  it  to  you,  presuming  that  you  were  better  acquainted  with 
the  subject  than  any  other  person.  I  recollect  seeing  at  the 
exhibition,  the  drawings  in  oil  referred  to ;  but  had  always  sup 
posed  they  were  the  production  of  Mr.  Allston  or  Mr.  Morse. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  85 

I  propose  to  publish  a  work  in  relation  to  the  monument,  show 
ing  the  construction  and  giving  to  the  public  the  results  of  our 
experiments,  and  should  like  to  be  able  to  give  credit  wherever 
it  is  due.  There  has  been  something  from  the  beginning  in 
relation  to  the  subject  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  understand. 
On  the  plate  that  is  deposited,  Mr.  Parris  is  said  to  be  architect ; 
in  the  North  American  Review  for  July,  1830,*  Mr.  Greenough 
is  said  to  be  the  inventor,  and  Mr.  Mills' s  letter  shows  that  he 
considers  himself  the  designer.  I  was  not  aware  that  either  of 
thpm  had  anything  to  do  with  the  design  that  is  in  progress. — 
Indeed  so  far  as  relates  to  the  accessories,  and  the  height,  I  did 
not  know  that  the  design  was  yet  determined  on.f 

' l  If  you  can  give  me  any  information  where  the  design  origi 
nated,  or  in  relation  to  Mr.  Mills' s  claims,  or  can  refer  to  the 
paper  containing  the  advertisement  for  the  design,  it  would 
oblige  much.  Mr.  Mills  evidently  thinks  there  has  been  some 
unfairness  —  and  I  consider  it  due  to  myself  to  inform  him  that 
it  does  not  attach  to  me. 

"  Yours,  respectfully,  &c., 

SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

"  George  Ticknor,  Esq.,  Park  street." 

We  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  answer  to  this  letter :  it 
probably  was  not  answered,  as  no  reference  is  made  to  the  sub 
ject  in  Mr.  Willard's  published  "  work."  Our  inference  from 
the  letter,  is  that  he  was  a  little  annoyed  by  the  disputatious 


*  This  must  be  a  mistake  :  the  North  American  Review  does  not  contain 
any  article  on  the  subject  between  the  years  1824  and  1832. 

t  In  1834,  May  5th,  the  Directors  on  the  report  of  the  Executive  Commit 
tee,  discussed  and  passed  the  following  vote,  viz  :  "That  the  Monument  be 
raised  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  feet  six  inches,  and  be  con 
sidered  as  completed,  when  raised  to  that  elevation,  as  to  the  effort  to  be  made 
at  this  time."  Records  of  the  Association. 

This  was  long  after  Mr.  Willard's  letter  was  written.  He,  of  course,  was  op 
posed  to  the  measure.  The  "  effort  to  be  made"  was  that  undertaken  by  the 
Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic  Association. 


86  MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

character  which  the  question  had  assumed  and  the  "something 
in  the  beginning"  that  he  could  not  understand.  He  had  work 
ed  in  good  faith,  and  had  made  and  modified  several  designs, 
to  make  them  acceptable  to  the  committee  and  within  the  proba 
ble  means  of  the  association.  If  suggestions  wrere  made  to  him. 
he  could  not  know  whether  they  were  original  or  purloined,  and 
was  in  no  way  responsible  for  their  use  —  if  any  such  were  used, 
as  Mr.  Mills  rather  broadly  insinuates. 

In  reference  to  the  inscribing  of  Captain  Parris's  name  on  the 
plate,  as  architect,  the  only  explanation  to  be  given  is,  that  it  was 
his  own  act,  authorized,  (as  he  seems  to  have  supposed,)  by  the 
circumstance  that  he  was  employed  by  Dr.  Warren  to  "  make 
preparations  for  the  laying  the  corner-stone,"  and  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  office.  Among  other  du 
ties  he  procured  the  engraving  of  the  plate.  His  bill  for  this 
service  contains  the  following  particulars  (omitting  the  items.)  : 
For  expenses,  labor,  materials,  &c.,  $336.48  ;  For  engraving 
plate,  $131.00  ;  Total,  $467.48.  On  the  face  of  this  bill  is  the 
following  memorandum  :  ' '  My  own  services  I  will  not  at  present 
make  any  account  of."  Subsequently,  Captain  Parris  presented 
a  bill,  which  was  paid,  containing  two  charges  :  the  one  above- 
mentioned  for  "  plans  and  estimates,"  and  another  :  "  For 
services  in  making  preparations  for  the  laying  the  corner-stone, 
by  order  of  Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  $50.00."  The  wrong  done 
to  Mr.  Willard,  inadvertently  and  certainly  without  any  design 
on  the  part  of  Captain  Parris,  is  almost  irreparable ;  and  so, 
doubtless,  Mr.  Willard  felt  it  to  be  when,  with  his  own  hands, 
he  placed  the  box  containing  the  plate,  under  the  true  corner 
stone,  more  than  a  year  after  the  ceremony  the  professional 
part  of  which  Captain  Parris  superintended. 

The  advertisement  for  a  design,  which  appears  not  to  have 
been  seen  by  Mr.  Willard,  we  judge  had  a  very  limited  circula 
tion.  It  was  inserted  only  once  in  the  Boston  paper  in  which 
we  found  it,  and  was  left  to  the  voluntary  action  of  other  pub 
lishers,  who  might  not  see  it,  or  might  not  choose  to  do  the  work 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON  WILLARD.  87 

at  their  own  expense.     As  its  statements  and  requirements  are 
somewhat  peculiar,  we  copy  the  principal  portion  of  it : 

"  The  Committee  esteem  it  their  duty  on  this  occasion,  to  act 
altogether  in  conformity  with  the  public  taste  and  judgment.  — 
For  this  reason,  although  there  are  some  obvious  recommenda 
tions  of  a  Column  as  the  best  form  for  a  monumental  structure, 
on  the  spot  in  question,  yet  the  committee  are  determined  to 
propose  no  plan  whatever  to  the  association  till  they  have  had 
the  means  of  comparing  all  the  suggestions  which  may  be  offered 
by  the  architectural  skill  and  genius  of  the  country.  They 
accordingly  publish  their  invitation  to  artists,  without  any  limi 
tation  ;  and  are  desirous  of  receiving  proposals  and  plans  for  a 
monumental  structure  of  whatever  character  or  design.  But  as 
a  column  is  recommended,  by  various  local  circumstances,  and 
appears  to  enjoy  a  general  preference,  the  committee  are  partic 
ularly  desirous  to  receive  plans  of  a  Monumental  Column  of 
about  220  feet  in  height,  to  be  built  of  hewn  granite. 

"It  is  wished  that  proposals  should  contain  two  plans  :  one, 
the  architectural  plan  and  elevation  of  the  work,  with  a  suitable 
scale  ;  vertical  and  horizontal  sections  of  the  interior  ;  particular 
statements  of  the  proportions  and  magnitudes  of  the  members ; 
and  if  a  column,  drawings  of  the  ornamental  portions  of  the  ped 
estal  :  and  the  other,  a  handsomely  finished  perspective  view  of 
the  work.  For  the  plan  of  this  description,  which  shall  appear 
to  merit  the  preference,  the  committee  offer  a  reward  of  one 
hundred  dollars." 

MR.    ROBERT  MILLS'S   LETTER. 

The  following  is  the  letter  from  Mr.  Mills,  addressed  to  his 
friend,  Richard  Wallack,  Esq.,  which  was  handed  to  Mr.  Wil- 
lard,  and  by  him  sent  to  Mr.  Ticknor  :  — 

"  City  of  Washington,  July  1st,  1832. 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  Understanding  that  you  will  remain  in  Boston 
some  time,  I  would  take  the  liberty  of  asking  you  to  represent 


88  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

me  in  a  case  in  which  I  am  professionally  interested :  When 
the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  committee  advertised  for  designs  for 
the  monument,  I  took  a  good  deal  of  pains  to  study  one  which 
should  do  honor  to  the  memory  of  those  worthies  it  was  intended 
to  commemorate,  and  prove  an  ornament  to  the  city  which  it 
was  to  overlook.  I  went  into  some  detail  on  the  subject  of 
monuments  generally,  and  in  sending  them  two  designs,  I  re 
commended  in  strong  terms  the  adoption  of  the  Obelisk  design, 
not  only  from  its  combining  simplicity  and  economy  with  gran 
deur,  but  as  there  was  already  a  column  of  massy  proportions 
erected  in  Baltimore,  we  ought  not,  therefore,  to  repeat  this 
figure,  but  construct  one  of  equally  imposing  figure.  I  was 
then  residing  in  South  Carolina,  and  was  at  much  trouble  to 
forward  the  roll  of  drawings  to  their  place  of  destination.  I 
never  heard  anything  on  the  subject  of  these  drawings  until  it 
was  announced  that  the  committee  had  adopted  the  Obelisk  form 
for  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  and  I  was  left  to  conjecture 
what  part  of  my  design  was  taken  and  what  left,  until  some  time 
after,  when  I  saw  that  all  the  decorations  were  omitted,  and  the 
naked  pillar  preserved  in  all  its  original  proportions.  (By  the 
way,  I  would  observe  that  the  committee  have  erred  in  omitting 
the  simple  decorations  proposed  in  my  design ;  the  grand  gallery 
about  one-third  the  height  of  the  shaft  would  have  been  useful 
as  a  lookout  platform  as  well  as  presenting  an  appropriate  deco 
ration,  as  the  outline  of  the  gallery  showed  the  monumental 
character  used  by  the  Egyptians,  from  which  nation  originated 
the  obelisk  form.) 

"  From  the  obelisk  design  being  adopted,  and  my  having  re 
commended  this  form  to  them,  I  thought  it  was  a  courtesy  due 
from  the  gentlemen  to  have  dropped  me  a  line  of  thanks  for  the 
trouble  I  had  taken  in  the  business,  though  they  may  have  not 
awarded  me  the  premium,  as  they  may  have  made  a  design 
themselves,  and  simplified  that  sent,  which  however  does  not 
obliterate  the  idea.  [Mr.  Mills  has  just  remarked  that  the  idea 
originated  with  the  Egyptians,  to  which  he  certainly  had  no 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  89 

personal  or  professional  claim.  As  the  Egyptian  obelisks  were 
erected  before  the  Christian  era,  the  idea  had  been  public  prop 
erty  for  many  centuries.] 

"  I  would  ask  the  favor  of  you,  my  dear  sir,  to  see  or  inquire 
of  any  gentleman  of  the  committee  if  there  was  any  other  design 
of  the  obelisk  form  presented  for  adoption  to  the  committee  with 
mine,  and  where  this  design  came  from,  and  if  such  design  was 
offered,  whether  it  was  not  made  in  Boston,  or  neighborhood, 
and  if  so,  should  not  some  credit  be  given  to  me  at  the  distance 
I  was,  for  suggesting  the  same  idea  ?  The  design  now  carrying 
into  execution  bears  all  the  proportions  of  that  I  sent  them,  and 
I  ought  reasonably  to  infer  that  some  reference  must  have  been 
had  to  my  drawings.  If  the  committee  are  not  disposed  to 
award  me  any  credit  for  my  design,  I  would  thank  you  to  pro 
cure  my  drawings,  and  when  you  have  an  opportunity  forward 
them  to  me.  The  drawings  were  on  a  large  scale  and  finished 
in  oil  colors,  with  a  distant  view  of  Boston  in  the  back-ground. 

"  With  sentiments  of  respect,  and  esteem,  dear  sir,  I  salute 
you,  ROBERT  MILLS." 


The  following  is  that  portion  of  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Mills,  in 
his  communication  to  the  Standing  Committee,  in  which  he 
recommends  the  Obelisk  form.  Plans  were  to  be  received  until 
the  first  of  April,  and  this  communication  is  dated  at  Columbia, 
S.  C.,  March  20,  1825  : 

"  In  the  designs  for  the  monument  which  I  now  have  the 
honor  to  lay  before  you,  I  would  recommend  the  adoption  of  the 
Obelisk  form  in  preference  to  the  Column.  The  details  I  have 
affixed  to  this  species  of  pillar  will  be  found  to  give  it  a  peculi 
arly  interesting  character,  embracing  originality  of  effect  with 
simplicity  of  design,  economy  in  execution,  great  solidity  and 
capacity  for  decoration,  reaching  the  highest  degree  of  splendor 
consistent  with  good  taste. 
12 


90  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

"  The  Obelisk  form  is,  for  monuments,  of  greater  antiquity 
than  the  Column,  as  appears  from  history,  being  used  as  early 
as  the  days  of  Rameses,  King  of  Egypt,  in  the  time  of  the  Tro 
jan  War.  Kercher  reckons  up  fourteen  Obelisks,  that  were 
celebrated  above  the  rest,  namely,  that  of  Alexander ;  that  of 
the  Barberines ;  those  of  Constantinople ;  of  the  Mons  Esquli- 
nus  ;  of  the  Campus  Flaminius  ;  of  Florence  ;  of  Heliopolis  ; 
of  Ludovisco  ;  of  Saint  Makut ;  of  the  Medici :  of  the  Vatican ; 
of  M.  Coelius,  and  that  of  Pamphila.  The  highest  on  record 
mentioned  is  that  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphia  in  memory  of  Ar- 
sinoe. 

"  The  Obelisk  form  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  commemorate 
great  transactions,  for  its  lofty  character,  great  strength,  and 
furnishing  a  fine  surface  for  inscriptions.  There  is  a  degree  of 
lightness  and  beauty  in  it  that  affords  a  finer  relief  to  the  eye 
than  can  be  obtained  in  the  regular  proportioned  column." 


We  have  given  to  Mr.  Mills  the  benefit  of  his  letter  and  his 
original  recommendations  of  the  Obelisk  form.  They  present 
his  case  in  its  strongest  light,  and  in  a  manner  which  seems  to 
require  either  explanation  or  answer.  This,  perhaps,  is  not  de 
manded  here.  Probably  the  committee  regarded  his  design  as 
a  whole  —  not  in  parts  —  and  as  such,  whatever  they  might  have 
thought  of  its  proportions,  it  was  not  accepted  by  them.  They 
could  not  accept  a  part  of  it,  or  modify  and  then  accept  it  as  a 
whole.  Besides,  the  decorative  parts,  which  alone  were  truly 
his,  were  certainly  not  acceptable  to  the  committee,  and  when 
stripped  of  these,  only  the  "  naked  pillar"  was  left  —  which 
was  an  Egyptian  obelisk,  such  as  others  had  suggested  and 
such  as,  under  the  circumstances,  wTas  not  entitled  to  the  offered 
reward.  As  to  the  "  original  proportions,"  claimed  by  Mr. 
Mills,  the  principal  measurement,  which  more  or  less  controlled 
the  rest,  —  the  height,  —  wras  determined  by  the  committee  in 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  91 

their  advertisement ;  the  diameters  had  also  been  mentioned  and 
estimates  made  of  others  by  Mr.  Willard,  and  "after  mature 
deliberation  it  was  decided  that  one  of  thirty  feet  base  was  as 
large  as  could  be  safely  undertaken..?.'  Evidently  Mr.  Mills 
relied  much  upon  the  u  simple  decorations  proposed  in  his  de 
sign,"  and  thought  the  committee  made  a  mistake  in  not  adopt 
ing  them ;  but  they  desired  a  structure  which  should  be  substan 
tial  and  grand,  not  decorative.  In  short,  they  did  not  approve 
or  accept  Mr.  Mills' s  design,  and  therefore  could  not  give  to 
him  the  reward.  The  intimation  in  Mr.  Mills' s  letter,  of  any 
unfairness  in  the  matter,  Mr.  Willard  did  well  promptly  to  re 
pudiate  as  not 'attaching  to  him.  As  against  the  committee  or 
the  Board  of  Directors,  such  an  implication  is  not  to  be  credited 
for  a  moment. 

So  far  as  Mr.  Willard  is  concerned  in  the  remarks  of  Mr. 
Mills,  he  has  answered,  with  all  the  force  of  brevity  and  truth, 
in  the  letter  to  Mr.  Ticknor,  "I  was  not  aware  that  either  of 
them,  [Messrs.  Parris,  Greenough,  or  Mills,]  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  design  that  is  in  progress."  This  was  said  by  Mr. 
Willard  after  he  had  become  aware  of  the  claims  of  each  of  these 
parties.  As  he  made  the  design  that  was  in  progress,  he  ought 
to  have  known  whether  either  of  them  had  anything  to  do  with 
it  or  not.  It  is  presumed  that  neither  Mr.  Mills  or  any  other 
artist  will  claim  a  premium  for  the  idea  of  the  obelisk  form,  and 
as  regards  the  proportions,  we  know  that  Mr.  Willard  made 
designs  of  three  different  diameters  for  the  last  committee.  How 
many  he  had  previously  made,  some  of  which  he  modelled  also, 
we  are  not  able  to  say  ;  but  we  think  he  spent  weeks  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  association  in  making  designs  and  estimates,  where 
Mr.  Mills  or  any  other  artist,  spent  hours,  —  and  at  no  time 
did  he  ask  for  or  accept  any  compensation  for  his  labor,  his 
expenses  or  his  time. 

We  conclude,  if  the  premium  offered  by  the  committee  for  a 
design  was  justly  to  be  claimed  by  any  one  it  was  Mr.  Willard. 
He  never  claimed  it,  and  if  it  had  been  awarded  to  him  he  would 


92  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLAKD. 

have  placed  it  in  the  treasury  of  the  association.  Notwithstand 
ing  his  untiring  study  and  long  labor  upon  it,  he  professed, 
honestly  no  doubt,  not  to  know  to  whom  the  credit  of  the  first 
suggestion  belonged.  If  it  did  not  belong  to  him,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  in  every  other  respect,  he  was  the  true  and  only 
architect  of  the  work,  the  evidence  of  which,  it  is  due  to  his 
public  spirit  and  devoted  patriotism,  should  be  preserved,  and 
the  fact  made  distinctly  manifest  by  the  association. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON  WILLARD.  93 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CEREMONY   OF   LAYING   THE    CORNER-STONE. 


THE  corner-stone  of  the  monument  was  laid,  —  rather  figura 
tively  than  permanently,  for  it  was  a  mere  ceremony,  —  on  the 
17th  of  June,  1825,  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Freemasons  in 
Massachusetts,  and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  Mr.  Willard  had  no 
part  assigned  to  him  in  the  arrangements.  It  was  one  of 
the  most  imposing  spectacles  ever  witnessed  in  this  country,  or, 
in  some  respects,  in  any  other  country.  It  was  not  simply  that 
such  a  work  —  the  spontaneous  undertaking  of  a  free  and  grate 
ful  people,  —  was  to  be  inaugurated  ;  there  were  other  induce 
ments  to  a  general  observance  of  the  day  and  the  occasion,  which 
operated  upon  all  classes.  The  usual  recurrence  of  this  anniver 
sary  was  heightened  in  interest  by  the  circumstance  that  fifty 
years  had  elapsed  since  this  famous  battle,  and  the  fact  that  but 
few  of  the  undisciplined  heroes  of  that  day  still  survived  to  par 
ticipate  in  a  work  designed  to  commemorate  the  event  in  which 
they  alone,  of  all  living,  had  taken  an  active  part.  In  addition 
to  this,  the  patriotic  sentiments  of  the  country  had  been  stirred 
and  gratified  by  the  presence  as  the  Nation's  Guest,  of  General 
Lafayette,  the  early  and  devoted  friend  of  the  country  and  the 
associate  in  arms  of  our  venerated  Washington.  The  story  of 
his  services  to  this  country  in  the  struggles  which  commenced  on 
Bunker  Hill,  and  the  trials  and  sufferings  he  had  endured  for  the 
establishment  of  the  principles  that  inspired  him,  was  patent  to 


94  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

the  people  ;  and  the  Directors  of  the  monument  association,  for 
many  reasons,  desired  his  presence  on  the  occasion.  To  these 
considerations,  likely  to  be  as  highly  appreciated  by  the  public 
as  by  the  Directors,  may  be  added  the  name  and  reputation  of 
the  Orator,  whose  profound  thought  and  massive  eloquence  were 
known  to  be  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  subject  and  the  place ; 
and  which  will  preserve  the  remembrance  of  the  occasion  and  its 
associations  to  the  remotest  posterity. 

Inspired  by  the  feeling  of  national  pride  and  national  fame, 
which  in  that  memorable  year  filled  the  whole  country ;  when 
prosperity  •  and  abundance,  peace  and  happiness  crowned  the 
land;  when  all  the  people  lived  in  harmony,  honoring  and 
blessing  the  benignant  government  which  blessed  and  protected 
them  —  the  event  of  which  we  speak,  local  only  geographically 
and  belonging  to  the  whole  country,  was  everywhere  hailed  with 
joy  by  the  people,  and  all  hearts  present  or  absent,  beat  in 
unison  with  the  patriotic  sentiments  of  the  day.  Then  we  were 
ONE  PEOPLE  —  united,  prosperous,  happy  —  having  no  anxious 
moments  about  the  future  and  never  dreaming  of  those  terrible 
disasters  which  have  destroyed  our  peace  and  people,  desolated 
our  land  and  threatened  our  existence  as  a  nation. 

Such  was  the  extent  of  popular  interest  and  patriotic  feeling 
on  this  anniversary,  that  the  directors  and  architect,  —  whose 
joint  labors  had  been  employed,  in  conjunction  with  the  public 
press,  to  interest  and  arouse  the  people,  —  beheld  with  wonder 
the  spectacle  presented  to  them,  on  the  morning  of  the  seven 
teenth  •  and  felt  a  new  impulse  to  effort  in  order  that  the  con 
templated  work  should  be  worthy  of  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  undertaken  and  the  noble  patriotism  of  a  community  so  alive 
to  the  value  of  their  inheritance  —  an  inheritance  which  to-day 
is  more  estimable  than  ever  before  and  which  is  to  be  preserved 
as  it  was  obtained  by  sacrifice  and  blood. 

The  people  had  assembled  in  numbers  almost  too  large  to  esti 
mate,  thronging  not  merely  the  streets  of  Charlestown  and  Bos 
ton,  but  covering  the  battle-field  with  a  living  mass  as  it  never 


MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD.  95 

had  been  covered  before.  They  came  from  all  parts  of  New 
England,  in  societies  and  associations,  with  music  and  banners, 
arms,  emblems  and  patriotic  devices,  and  even  from  distant 
parts  of  the  country  —  all  as  to  the  greajb  National  Altar  of  law 
and  liberty.  They  came  not  as  their  fathers  came,  at  the 
roll  of  the  drum,  to  lay  down  their  lives  if  need  be,  for  their 
just  rights ;  not  as  then,  armed  with  fowling-piece  and  rifle ; 
nor  came  they  now  for  conflict  of  any  kind,  but  rather  as  a 
people  filled  with  gratitude,  to  manifest  their  sense  of  obligation 
to  the  fathers,  to  revive  the  fire  of  patriotism  in  their  souls,  and 
perform  an  act  of  justice  to  an  ancestry  such  as  no  country  had 
before  seen  ;  and  worthy  of  the  renown  which  embalms  their 
memories. 

At  the  appointed  hour  there  moved  through  the  crowded  streets 
of  these  cities,  on  the  way  to  the  battle-field,  crossing  the 
bridge  which  now  spanned  the  u  royal  Charles,"  a  procession  of 
military,  civic  and  social  bodies,  all  existing  in  virtue  of  princi 
ples  there  baptized  in  blood  and  now  emblazoned  on  the  banners 
of  a  people  absolutely  revelling  in  their  enjoyment.  Such  a 
sight  as  this  moving  mass  afforded  to  the  more  numerous 
thousands  that  gazed  upon  it,  its  venerable  men,  and  the  august 
patriot  whose  fame  is  the  just  property  of  two  great  nations, 
has  rarely  been  seen  in  this,  and  as  a  voluntary  exhibition  never 
in  any  other  country.  It  was  a  spontaneous  outpouring  of  the 
people  and  seemed  to  demonstrate,  more  than  anything  else,  how 
correctly  the  movers  in  this  enterprise  had  judged  of  their  feel 
ings  in  proposing  the  structure  now  to  be  commenced.  Those 
venerable  men  who  were  so  early  called  upon  to  defend  their 
homes  and  maintain  the  rights  they  claimed,  and  who  had  alone 
survived  their  compatriots  in  arms  to  behold  this  glorious  and 
grateful  day,  were  everywhere  greeted  with  enthusiastic  cheers ; 
while  the  acknowledged  Apostle  of  Liberty,  whose  presence 
connected  a  nation  with  the  occasion,  received  from  the  gathered 
thousands  that  grateful  homage  of  mind  and  heart  which  would 
have  been  the  breath  of  life  to  Gesler,  and  was  never  before  so 


96  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

rendered  to  any  man.      It  was  a  day  well  spent  for  the  nation, 
and  worthily  by  the  people. 

Judging  from  what  we  know  of  Mr.  Willard's  views  of  the 
purpose  of  this  work  and  his  sympathy  with  the  undertaking, 
his  heart  must  have  swelled  with  emotion  at  the  enthusiasm, 
and  he  realized  more  forcibly  than  ever,  how  inadequate  were 
his  powers  to  embody  the  sentiments  of  the  occasion  and  give 
expression  to  the  gushing  gratitude  of  the  people  in  the  struc 
ture  to  be  erected. 

After  the  completion  of  the  ceremony  by  the  fraternity  charged 
with  its  performance,  Mr.  Webster,  in  his  admirable  oration  on 
the  occasion,  said, 

"  The  foundation  of  that  monument  we  have  now  laid.  With 
solemnities  suited  to  the  occasion,  with  prayers  to  Almighty  God 
for  his  blessing,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  cloud  of  witnesses,  we 
have  begun  the  work.  We  trust  that  it  will  be  prosecuted,  and 
that,  springing  from  a  broad  foundation,  rising  high  in  massive 
solidity  and  unadorned  grandeur,  it  may  remain  as  long  as 
Heaven  permits  the  works  of  man  to  last,  a  fit  emblem  both  of 
the  events  in  memory  of  which  it  is  raised,  and  of  the  gratitude 
of  those  who  have  reared  it." 

Another  purpose  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  suggested  by  the 
orator,  in  his  muscular  English,  is  peculiarly  applicable  at  the 
present  time  and  marks  the  profound  thought  of  the  statesman : 
"  We  wish  that,  in  those  days  of  disaster,  which,  as  they  come 
upon  all  nations,  must  be  expected  to  come  upon  us  also,  des 
ponding  patriotism  may  turn  its  eyes  hitherward,  and  be  assured 
that  the  foundations  of  our  national  power  are  still  strong." 

After  what  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Willard's  interest  in  the  pro 
posed  monument,  his  continued  service  and  his  intercourse  with 
the  directors,  it  must  appear  singular  to  the  reader  that  he  was 
not  employed  to  superintend  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  in 
preference  to  any  other  person.  We  do  not  attempt  to  account 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  97 

for  the  omission,  but  presume  it  to  have  been  inadvertent,  —  if 
that  is  to  be  considered  a  sufficient  excuse  for  the  neglect.  Mr. 
Willard,  as  was  to  be  expected  of  him,  -has  not  mentioned  the 
circumstance  even  in  his  familiar  correspondence  ;  and  perhaps 
felt  that  he  had  no  right  to  complain.  It  is  true  that  he  had 
not  then  been  elected  architect ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  no  other 
person  had  been  elected.  No  other  architect  had  been  employ 
ed  by  the  directors  as  he  had  been ;  no  other  had  been  elected 
to  membership  as  he  had  been :  for  these  and  other  considera 
tions,  it  seems  to  us  now  that  he  should  have  been  selected  in 
stead  of  a  less  interested  party. 

Nevertheless,  while  the  laying  of  this  corner-stone  was  very 
properly  regarded  as  the  inauguration  of  the  work,  the  true 
corner-stone  of  the  monument,  upon  which  the  structure  rests, 
was  laid  by  Mr.  Willard,  in  a  workman-like  manner,  at  a  sub 
sequent  period. 


13 


98          .  MEMOIR  OP  SOLOMON  WTLLARD. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


ELECTION  AS  ARCHITECT  AND   SUPERINTENDENT. 


NEXT  in  importance  to  the  selection  of  a  design  for  the  mon 
ument,  if  not  in  fact  first  in  importance,  was  the  election  of  an 
Architect  and  Superintendent  of  the  work.  Great  responsi 
bility,  —  to  the  contributors  and  to  posterity,  —  would  rest  upon 
this  officer  for  the  faithful  and  skilful  performance  of  his  work, 
and  upon  the  Building  Committee  for  his  appointment.  They 
were  not  long,  however,  in  making  a  selection,  for  at  their  first 
meeting,  October  31st,  1825,  Mr.  Solomon  Willard  was  chosen 
without  a  division.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  notwith 
standing  what  had  been  done  four  months  previously,  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  the  public  were  prepared  for  this  result :  the 
skill  and  judgment,  the  fidelity  and  perseverance  of  Mr.  Willard, 
and  the  final  completion  of  the  work  under  his  careful  superin 
tendence,  confirm  the  propriety  of  the  choice  and  attest  the 
faithfulness  with  which  he  discharged  the  trust. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  Mr.  Willard  received  the  following 
notice  of  his  appointment  from  the  chairman  : 

"Mr.  Solomon  Willard,  —  Sir,  I  beg  leave  to  inform  you 
that  you  have  been  chosen  Architect  and  Superintendent  of  the 
Monument  to  be  erected  on  Bunker  Hill.  You  will  please  to 
inform  me  whether  you  would  accept  this  office,  and  on  what 
terms,  for  a  year.  The  duty  will  be  to  prepare  the  requisite 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  99 

plans,  to  make  contracts,  and  to  do  such  other  duties  as  may  be 
required  for  this  construction  under  the  direction  of  the  Build 
ing  Committee. 

JOHN  C.  WARREN,  Chairman." 

To  which  Mr.  Willard,  on  the  succeeding  day,  sent  the  fol 
lowing  reply : 

"Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  your  note  of  the  2d  instant,  I 
should  be  willing  to  render  any  service  in  my  power  to  forward 
the  views  of  the  committee ;  and  as  respects  compensation,  it 
must  depend  on  the  portion  of  time  required.  If  my  whole  time 
should  be  thought  necessary,  the  pay  ought  to  be  about  three 
dollars  per  day.  For  many  reasons,  however,  I  think  that  the 
interests  of  the  association  would  be  best  served  by  having  the 
services  gratuitous,  and  if  it  should  be  thought  so  by  the  com 
mittee,  I  will  agree  to  it. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  you, 
when  other  engagements  will  permit. 
"  Yours,  respectfully, 

SOLOMON  WILLARD." 

"  John  C.  Warren,  M.  D.,  Chairman." 

At  the  time  of  this  appointment,  Mr.  Willard,  by  reason  of 
his  skill  and  connection  with  works  already  accomplished  or  in 
progress ;  from  his  acknowledged  soundness  of  judgment  and 
constructive  talent  ;  his  eminent  reliability  of  character,  origi 
nality  of  thought  and  mechanical  ingenuity,  in  some  respects,  to 
say  the  least,  was  at  the  head  of  his  profession,  and  had  fairly 
earned  his  position.  His  appointment,  therefore,  as  architect  of 
the  monument  and  superintendent  of  the  work,  was  wise  and 
judicious,  and  as  the  result  has  shown,  a  fortunate  selection  on 
the  part  of  the  Building  Committee.  We  do  not  absolutely 
know  the  fact,  but  as  no  other  architect  seems  to  have  competed 
with  him  for  the  office,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  ap 
pointment  was  made  with  the  concurrence  of  the  ablest  and  best 


100  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

artists  and  architects  in  Boston.  All  things  considered  no  one 
of  them,  had  they  been  disposed  to  seek  the  position  and  respon 
sibility,  could  have  served  the  association  more  faithfully,  more 
successfully  or  more  skilfully,  than  did  Mr.  Willard. 

That  Mr.  Willard  had  an  honorable  ambition  to  do  this  work  is 
undoubtedly  true,  and  he  thought  the  honor  of  the  office  a  suffi 
cient  reward  for  the  services  required.  It  was  national  in  its 
character  and  in  its  purposes.  It  was  an  undertaking  which, 
at  this  time  in  his  experience,  he  would  desire,  on  account  of  its 
novelty  and  for  the  reason  that  it  might  make  new  and  profound 
demands  upon  his  mechanical  as  well  as  artistic  skill.  It  was 
the  kind  of  excitement  that  he  wanted,  germane  to  his  taste  and 
genius,  consonant  with  his  ambition,  and  afforded  an  opportunity 
for  that  experience  in  the  use  of  a  building  material,  which  he 
desired  to  possess.  If  ever  a  man  entered  upon  such  a  piece  of 
work,  con  amore,  with  his  time,  money  and  heart  in  it,  it  was 
Mr.  Willard  upon  this  work  —  and  he  pursued  it  with  a  quiet 
greatness  of  skill  and  interest  worthy  of  a  noble  record  and  the 
remembrance  of  every  patriotic  and  generous  heart.  His  soul 
was  in  the  work  :  it  lived  in  his  thoughts,  journeyed  with  him, 
and  tarried  wherever  he  tarried.  During  the  progress  of  it, 
he  was  at  the  quarry,  the  railway,  the  site  of  the  monument, 
ready  with  hand  to  help  or  word  to  direct ;  and  while  working 
without  pay  and  employing  the  best  mechanics  at  liberal  wages, 
he  exerted  himself  to  avoid  every  unnecessary  expense.  The 
reader  of  his  letters,  estimates  and  calculations,  would  infer  that 
his  leading  purpose  was  to  see  how  cheaply  stone  could  be  got 
out  and  worked,  and  with  how  little  expense  the  monument 
could  be  built. 

On  the  9th  instant,  the  following  contract  was  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  the  parties,  and  by  an  understanding  between  them, 
was  to  continue  in  force  for  one  year  : 

"  Memorandum  of  an  agreement  made  by  Solomon  Willard, 
on  the  one  part,  and  John  C.  Warren,  in  the  capacity  of  Chair- 


MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD.  101 

man  of  the  Building  Committee  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument, 
on  the  other  part,  —  Witnesseth,  That  the  said  Willard  agrees 
to  prepare  the  requisite  models  and  drawings  for  an  Obelisk,  to 
be  erected  on  Bunker  Hill ;  to  aid  in  making  the  contracts,  and 
to  superintend  the  completion  of  the  same ;  and  also  to  do  such 
other  duties  as  may  be  required  —  In  consideration  of  five  hun 
dred  dollars  per  year,  to  be  paid  for  such  services  by  the  said 
Warren. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  the  parties  have  hereunto  set  their 
hands  this  ninth  day  of  November,  eighteen  hundred  and 
twenty-five. 

JOHN  C.  WARREN. 

SOLOMON  WILLARD." 

Previously  to  his  election,  in  June,  1825,  after  the  committee 
had  decided  upon  the  form  of  the  monument,  Mr.  Willard 
addressed  a  letter  of  which  the  following  is  the  substance,*  to 
Mr.  Ticknor,  giving  his  views  as  to  the  best  manner  of  carrying 
forward  the  work : 

"  I  have  seen  by  the  papers  that  the  committee  have  adopted 
the  obelisk  for  the  monument,  and  as  I  have  more  than  a  com 
mon  interest  in  its  being  carried  into  effect  in  a  spirited  and 
economical  manner,  I  hope  that  a  few  hints,  respecting  the  best 
course,  will  not  be  considered  impertinent. 

"  A  Building  Committee  should  be  chosen,  who  are  favorably 
disposed  to  the  design,  and  who  will  unite  heartily  in  carrying 
it  into  execution.  An  agent  may  be  employed  to  assist  in  mak 
ing  the  contracts,  and  an  architect,  if  his  services  are  considered 
necessary.  The  services  of  the  committee  and  agents  should  be 
gratuitous,  as  the  honor  of  the  employment  will  be  a  sufficient 
compensation.  The  committee  should  mature  the  designs  in  all 


*  This  is  the  letter  referred  to  on  page  59,  ante. 


102  MEMOIR  OP    SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

their  details.  The  form,  dimension  and  tonnage  of  every  block 
of  stone  in  the  structure,  should  be  known,  and  the  manage 
ment  of  the  contracts  should  be  the  same  as  would  be  employed 
in  an  individual  concern. 

"  After  the  dimensions,  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  stock 
wanted,  is  known,  it  might  be  well  to  advertise  for  proposals  for 
supplying  it.  I  do  not  apprehend  much  difficulty  in  procuring 
any  of  the  stone  at  a  fair  price,  except  the  blocks  for  the  outside, 
which  being  of  considerable  dimensions,  and  required  to  be  of 
stock  which  is  very  valuable  to  those  who  have  it,  will  prob 
ably  be  held  very  high.  Should  this  be  the  case,  it  might  be 
better  for  the  association  to  buy  the  quarry  and  to  employ  a 
skilful  superintendent  to  see  the  stone  quarried.  An  experiment 
might  also  be  made  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  dressing  the  stone 
per  foot,  that  the  committee  may  judge  of  the  economy  of  having 
them  done  at  the  Prison  —  and  also  to  determine  the  probable 
cost  of  the  work. 

"It  is  estimated  that  the  stock  quarried  would  be  worth 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  foot  cubic  measure,  at  the  quarry  ; 
dressing  for  twenty-five  cents  per  foot  superficial,  including  cost 
of  tools,  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  for  the  beds.  The  transpor 
tation  may  cost  two  dollars  per  ton,  delivered  at  the  Hill  or 
State  Prison. 

"  Taking  a  block  of  stone  of  mean  dimensions,  of  ten  feet  long, 
three  feet  wide,  and  one  foot  six  inches  thick,  it  will  contain 
forty-five  cubic  feet,  which  at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  foot, 
will  amount  to  $5  62  J 

30  feet  of  face  dressing,  at  25  cents,  7  50 

30  feet  of  beds,  at  12J  cents,  3  75 

Transportation  of  3J  tons,  at  $2,  6  50 


Total  cost  per  block,  $23  374 


"  A  stone  of  the  given  dimensions,  according  to  the  foregoing 
estimate,  will  cost  twenty-three  dollars  thirty-seven  and  a  half 


MEMOIR  OF  SOLOMON  WILLARD.  103 

cents,  if  it  be  transported  in  the  usual  way  •  but  should  a  rail 
way  be  constructed,  as  has  been  suggested,  it  may  save  much 
expense  in  so  large  an  undertaking. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  the  work  commenced  skilfully  and  in 
a  spirited  manner,  and  to  see  it  finished  before  the  public  become 
tired  and  disgusted  as  is  usually  the  case.  I  feel  some  solicita 
tion  for  the  good  management,  having  given  estimates  and  know 
ing  from  experience  that  false  steps  at  the  outset  are  with  diffi 
culty  corrected,  and  not  generally  perceived  until  too  late  for  a 
remedy. 

"  The  quarry  which  I  mentioned  the  other  day,  has  been 
purchased  expressly  for  the  work  ;  but  if  on  examination,  the 
Directors  should  not  think  it  the  most  eligible,  it  will  be  no  loss. 

Yours,  respectfully,  &c. 

SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

These  suggestions  were  favorably  considered  and  acted  upon 
in  each  distinct  particular  by  the  Directors,  but  they  were  not 
permitted  to  see  the  work  finished  as  speedily  as  desired  by  Mr. 
Willard.  Of  his  election  the  Building  Committee,  in  their  first 
report,  June  17th,  1826,  speak  as  follows  : — 

"  No  sooner  was  the  Building  Committee  organized  than  they 
proceeded  to  the  election  of  an  architect  and  superintendent,  and 
chose  Mr.  Solomon  Willard,  a  gentleman  whose  talents  and  per 
severance  had  already  called  forth  in  his  favor  a  distinct  expres 
sion  of  the  opinion  that  he  was  well  qualified  to  execute  a  new 
and  difficult  structure.  Mr.  Willard  readily  undertook  the  office, 
but  he  was  desirous  of  making  it  a  condition  of  his  acceptance 
that  his  services  should  be  gratuitously  rendered  to  a  work  origi 
nating  from  sentiments  of  patriotism.  To  this  proposal,  however, 
the  committee  did  not  feel  justified  in  acceding.  They  knew 
that  the  Superintendent  would  be  called  upon  to  devote  a  large 
part  of  his  time  to  the  objects  connected  with  so  great  a  work. 
They  therefore,  felt  bound  to  provide  him  with  a  proper  salary 


104  MEMOIR  OF  SOLOMON  WTLLARD. 

for  his  support,  and  with  this,  though  much  less  than  what  his 
merits  might  have  demanded,  Mr.  Willard  declared  himself 
perfectly  satisfied." 

Notwithstanding  these  remarks  of  the  committee,  readers  of 
the  present  day  will  be  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  they  did,  in 
point  of  fact,  accede  to  Mr.  Willard' s  proposition,  for  in  no  just 
sense,  either  then  or  now,  can  a  compensation  of  five  hundred 
dollars  per  annum,  be  regarded  as  a  "  proper  salary  for  his  sup 
port."  A  really  proper  salary  for  such  services  as  were  to  be 
rendered  by  Mr.  Willard,  would  be  as  many  thousands  as  the 
committee  adjudged  him  hundreds ;  and  from  first  to  last,  his 
services  were  gratuitously  rendered,  he  receiving,  as  Mr.  Amos 
Lawrence  says,  "merely  his  necessary  expenses,  which  were 
very  small." 

It  seems  fitting  to  pause  here  for  a  moment,  to  consider  the 
position  which  Mr.  Willard  had  gained  to  himself  and  the  means 
and  appliances  by  which  he  had  gained  it.  The  honorable  char 
acter  of  the  position  will  readily  be  admitted.  As  to  the  means, 
they  were  such,  and  such  only,  as  every  young  man,  in  our 
favored  country,  has  within  himself.  His  advantages  of  reading 
and  education,  adequate  as  these  have  proved  to  be  in  so  many 
instances,  by  prompting  to  higher  efforts,  were  quite  inferior  to 
those  enjoyed  by  the  young  men  of  the  present  day.  In  the 
latter  he  had  no  other  opportunities  than  those  afforded  by  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  probably  open  only  a  portion 
of  each  year,  and  his  attendance  was  doubtless  interrupted  by 
his  labors  in  the  field  and  the  shop.  Without  public  libraries, 
few  books  were  to  be  obtained  in  a  country  town  seventy  or 
eighty  years  ago  ;  and  these  few  most  likely  unsuited  to  his  taste 
or  desires,  and  not  the  best  calculated  to  engage  his  attention  or 
develope  his  mind.  As  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Franklin,  whose  first 
books  were  on  matters  of  "polemic  divinity,"  they  answered  the 
purpose  of  the  moment  and  created  the  desire  for  more  congenial 
reading  and  study.  Men  in  humble  life,  who  have  shown  any 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARB.  105 

remarkable  qualities  or  become  celebrated  in  the  world's  history, 
have  generally  been  devourers  of  books,  reading  all  which  they 
were  able  to  obtain,  almost  without  regard  to  their  contents. 

Mr.  Willard's  mind  in  youth,  turned  naturally  to  mechanics, 
and  probably  there  were  not  half  a  dozen  books  in  his  native 
town,  on  any  branch  of  science  or  art,  of  a  character  calculated 
to  afford  him  any  instruction  which  he  could  make  available  to 
his  taste  or  inclinations.  It  was  not,  therefore,  until  he  came 
to  Boston,  .master  of  his  own  time  and  thereafter  to  be  the 
"architect  of  his  own  fortunes,"  that  he  could  reach  higher  and 
better  means  of  self-culture,  then  and  now  open  to  young  men 
of  studious  and  exemplary  habits  in  the  metropolitan  city.  How 
he  availed  himself  of  these  —  economized  his  earnings  and  im 
proved  his  time  —  is  shown  by  his  life  and  the  position  to  which 
he  had  now  been  chosen.  Wisely  spending  his  money  for  books 
and  such  instruction  as  he  desired,  he  acquired  information  very 
rapidly,  and  in  one  of  his  favorite  pursuits,  soon  ceased  to 
be  a  pupil,  though  always  a  learner,  and  became  a  teacher.  Not 
only  did  he  seek  his  own  improvement,  but  took  an  interest  in 
affording  the  means  of  improvement  to  others.  He  was  early 
interested  in  the  "  Social  Architectural  Library  of  Boston," 
(November,  1809,)  the  "Associated  Housewrights'  Society," 
the  "Boston  Mechanics'  Institution,"  the  "  Scientific  Library," 
and  other  similar  associations,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a 
subscriber  to  the  Athenaeum.  In  his  efforts  to  educate  himself 
and  popularize  knowledge,  he  was  associated  with  such  men  as 
Bowditch,  Claxton,  Moody,  Treadwell  and  others,  —  men  who 
were  willing  to  assist  in  a  good  cause  and  contribute  their  share 
to  the  mutual  improvement  and  social  elevation  of  the  commu 
nity.  Especially  did  the  mechanic  interests  of  Boston  profit  by 
their  generous  efforts. 

With  means  of  his  own  and  the  appliances  of  his  industry, 

Mr.  Willard  became  preeminently  qualified  for  the  position  to 

which  he  was  elected.     So  well  known  was  this  that  the  public 

judgment  pointed  him  out  as  the  man  to  be  entrusted  with  such 

14 


106  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLAED. 

an  enterprise.  In  the  commencement  of  the  work,  he  entered 
at  once  into  plans  for  its  speedy  and  economical  accomplishment ; 
made  suggestions  to  the  Directors  and  Building  Committee,  and 
responded  readily  to  any  suggestions  they  had  to  make  to  him. 
He  felt  at  all  times  the  responsibility  of  his  position  and  the 
necessity  there  was  for  certainty  and  accuracy  in  his  calcula 
tions,  —  and  he  looked  forward  with  ardent  desire  for  the  ac 
complishment  of  his  designs  and  the  attainment  of  a  just  reward 
for  his  labors. 

At  the  time  of  his  election,  Mr.  Willard  was  forty-two  years 
of  age,  having  been  twenty-one  years,  almost  to  a  day,  in  the 
city,  (with  the  exception  of  his  visits  to  the  south,)  working 
and  pursuing  his  education. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  107 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


PURCHASE  OP  THE  BUNKER  HILL  QUARRY. 


WHILE  the  Board  of  Directors  was  engaged  in  devising  plans 
to  obtain  the  means  wherewith  to  build  the  monument,  Mr.  Wil- 
lard  was  seeking  for  a  suitable  material  of  which  to  construct  it. 
He  took  care  to  inform  himself  on  the  subject  of  monuments 
generally,  and  especially  of  their  peculiar  characteristics,  the 
nature  of  the  material  used  and  the  manner  of  construction.  — 
His  idea,  —  though  not  at  all  peculiar  to  himself,  but  held  in 
common  with  the  whole  community,  —  was  that  the  work  should 
be  of  extraordinary  magnitude  and  built  of  durable  and  massive 
materials.  His  taste  and  experience  were  opposed  to  outside- 
show  as  a  quality  in  architecture,  and  especially  against  every 
thing  of  that  nature  in  construction.  No  brick-and-mortar 
work,  however  grand  the  proportions,  would  have  met  his  views, 
not  even  were  the  outside  to  be  of  a  durable  and  unexceptionable 
material.  An  occasion  so  well  worthy  of  a  monument,  com 
mended  itself  to  all  as  worthy  of  one  which  should  be  massive, 
solid  and  durable  ;  something  bolder,  nobler  and  grander,  than 
art  had  yet  furnished ;  something  more  adequate  to  the  com 
memoration  —  not  of  a  man,  or  a  battle-field  merely,  but  of  a 
code  of  great  -principles,  and  of  the  gratitude  of  a  whole 
people.  Everybody  felt  what  was  wanted,  but  time  and  labor 
were  required  for  its  attainment  —  much  more  of  each,  before 


108  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

the  end,  than  was  contemplated,  or  peradventure  the  work  would 
hardly  have  been  undertaken. 

Interesting  as  this  question  of  material  was  to  the  commu- 
munity,  it  was  much  more  so  to  Mr.  Willard  and  called  forth 
exertions  as  extraordinary  as  they  were  necessary  and  success 
ful.  As  already  intimated,  before  the  design  of  the  monument 
had  been  decided,  he  had  been  actively  occupied  in  exploring  the 
country  in  pursuit  of  a  quarry  from  which  could  be  obtained 
blocks  of  sufficient  size  for  the  purpose,  and  in  a  location  to  be 
made  available  with  existing  means  of  transportation.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  laborious  undertakings  of  Mr.  Willard  in 
connection  with  the  monument,  and  he  wras  indefatigable  in  its 
accomplishment.  We  have  no  means,  from  any  record  of  his 
owrn,  of  ascertaining  the  extent  or  cost  of  these  explorations,  but 
they  were  in  both  respects  very  considerable.  The  only  refer 
ence  to  them  which  we  have  found  is  the  following  note,  in  the 
hand-writing  of  Mr.  Lawrence,  on  a  blank  leaf  preceding  the 
records  of  the  Building  Committee,  of  which  he  was  for  three 
years,  (from  June,  1827,  to  June,  1830,)  the  Secretary  : 

11  Solomon  Willard  walked  three  hundred  miles  to  examine 
11  granite  quarries,  (Hallowell  and  other  places,)  gave  a  thous- 
u  and  dollars  to  the  monument  association,  and  worked  like  a 
"  dog  for  the  association  for  years,  for  merely  his  necessary  ex 
penses,  (which  were  very  small,)  and  is  now  at  work  at 
"  Quincy.  Boston,  August,  1849. 

(Signed,)  AMOS  LAWRENCE." 

The  result  of  these  journeyings  was  the  selection  of  what  was 
subsequently  known  as  the  "  Bunker  Hill  Quarry,"  in  Quincy, 
—  a  most  fortunate  selection  and  one  manifestly  made  with  a 
wise  judgment.  A  quarry  was  also  purchased  by  a  member  of 
the  Building  Committee,  (Mr.  Lawrence,)  at  Rockport,  Cape 
Ann,  where  it  was  supposed  peculiar  facilities  would  be  secured 
in  shipping  the  blocks  to  Charlestown  ;  but  this  was  not 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  109 

considered  as  desirable  as  the  quarry  at  Quincy,  and  was  never 
owned  by  the  association. 

The  quarry  discovered  by  Mr.  Willard,  was  purchased  in 
June,  1825,  by  Mr.  Gridley  Bryant,  .of  Frederick  Hardwick, 
and  conveyed  to  him  by  deed,  dated  the  9th  of  that  month.  The 
conveyance  was  of  "  all  the  rocks  or  stones,  on  and  in  a  certain 
piece  of  woodland,  lying  in  the  town  of  Quincy  aforesaid,  in  the 
—  lot,  so  called,  and  was  part  of  the  estate  of  Nathaniel  Savil, 
containing  four  acres,  more  or  less,  and  is  bounded  and  butted 
as  follows,  viz  :  southerly  on  woodland  formerly  owned  by  Cap 
tain  John  Hall,  deceased,  now  owned  by  said  Hardwick,  Ebene- 
zer  Crane  and  George  Nightingale ;  westerly,  northwardly  and 
eastwardly,  on  woodland  of  Hon.  John  Quincy  Adams,  arid 
however  bounded,  or  reputed  to  be  bounded,  together  with  the 
privilege  of  taking  away  or  removing  said  rocks  or  stones,  at 
any  time  hereafter,  to  suit  said  Bryant's  convenience  —  and 
further  it  being  understood  by  the  parties,  that  the  said  Bryant 
shall  have  a  right  to  cut,  clear  off  any  of  the  wood,  or  remove 
any  other  obstacle  that  may  hinder  or  prevent  the  said  Bryant 
from  taking  and  carting  off  the  rocks  or  stone,  whenever  he 
pleases,  on  or  in  said  lot  —  and  it  is  hereby  agreed  between  said 
parties,  that  all  the  wood  that  said  Bryant  shall  cut  on  said  lot, 
shall  belong  to  said  Frederick  Hardwick."  The  consideration 
paid  by  Mr.  Bryant  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  [This 
is  the  quarry  referred  to  in  the  letter  to  Mr.  Ticknor  in  the 
preceding  chapter.] 

In  November,  immediately  after  the  election  of  Mr.  Willard, 
and  upon  his  recommendation,  the  quarry  was  purchased,  and 
Mr.  Bryant  conveyed  to  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Associa 
tion  "the  privilege  of  quarrying  any  quantity  of  stone  which 
may  be  wranted  in  erecting  said  monument,  from  a  quarry  which 
said  Bryant  purchased  of  Frederick  Hardwick,  in  June  last,  the 
same  lying  in  Quincy  —  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars,"  Mr.  Bryant,  like  most  other 


110  MEMOIR  .OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

men,    regarding   it  as  an   ordinary  business   transaction   and 
taking  a  handsome  profit. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  this  month,  the  committee  published  an 
advertisement  for  proposals  for  furnishing  the  stone  required  for 
the  monument ;  but  it  is  presumed,  from  what  had  already  been 
suggested  by  Mr.  Willard,  that  no  proposals  which  the  committee 
could  accept,  were  looked  for,  —  at  any  rate,  however  this  might 
be,  the  committee  deemed  it  prudent  to  secure  the  ledge  while 
it  was  at  their  option. 

The  location  of  the  "  Bunker  Hill  Ledge"  is  described  above 
in  the  words  of  the  deed  of  conveyance  ;  its  distance  from  the 
site  of  the  monument,  by  the  land  route  through  Boston,  was 
measured  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Alexander  Wadsworth,  who 
reported  as  follows  :— 

"  Boston,  November  10th,  1834. 

"  Solomon  Willard,  Esq.,  —  Sir,  The  measures  reported  by 
my  chainman,  who  measured  for  me  the  distance  by  the  road, 
from  the  Bunker  Hill  Ledge,  in  Quincy,  to  the  monument  on 
Bunker  Hill,  are  as  follows,  to  wit : 

FROM  BUNKER  HILL  LEDGE  TO  —  MILES.     QRS.     RODS. 

Howard's  Corner,       .  0       3     40 

Railway  House,          ...  2       2     58 

Stone  marked  "  8  M.  to  Boston,''  .  230 
Commencement  of  lower  road,  at  mills,  420 
Road  leading  to  Neponset  Bridge,  .  5  2  40 
Turnpike,  ...  6  0  44 

Glover's  Corner,  .  .  .  .  7  1  40 
Draw  of  Free  Bridge  [to  South  Boston,]  10  0  16 
Church,  head  of  Sea  street,  .  .  10  24 
Hanover  st,  through  Federal  and  Marshall,  11  0  72 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  .  .  .  12  1  29 
"  Very  truly,  yours, 

ALEXANDER  WADSWORTH." 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  Ill 

The  Building  Committee,  in  their  first  report,  speak  of  the 
purchase  of  this  quarry  as  follows  :— 

"  On  the  recommendation  of  the  Superintendent,  they  then 
proceeded  to  examine  a  ledge  of  rocks  "discovered  by  him  in  the 
town  of  Quincy,  and  found  there  a  magnificent  range  of  granite 
containing  materials  inexhaustible,  the  use  of  which  they  imme 
diately,  for  a  trifling  sum,  secured  for  the  benefit  of  this  cor 
poration. 

"  The  design  of  the  committee  in  making  this  purchase  was 
to  quarry  the  stone  on  account  of  the  corporation,  instead  of 
buying  it ;  and  this  mode  they  have  the  strongest  reason  to  be 
lieve,  will  put  it  in  their  power  to  make  a  great  saving  of  ex 
pense.  Their  intention  at  the  time  of  the  purchase  was  to  have 
begun  the  cutting  of  the  stone  immediately ;  and  they  expected 
to  have  been  able  to  convey  it  by  land,  a  distance  of  two  miles 
only,  with  greatest  economy  in  the  winter  season,  so  that  by 
spring  a  sufficient  quantity  might  be  ready  at  the  water's  edge, 
in  Quincy,  to  be  transported  .by  water  to  Charlestown,  and 
afford  materials  for  beginning  the  work  and  carrying  it  forward 
with  rapidity.  The  quarry  was  accordingly  opened,  and  its 
excellence  fully  answered  the  expectations  which  had  been 
formed."* 

It  appears  by  later  records  and  papers  that  Mr.  Willard  still 
retained  an  interest  in  this  quarry.  When  it  was  proposed  to 
take  the  stone  wanted,  from  Pine  Hill  Ledge,  in  order  to  save 
distance  and  expense  in  the  building  of  the  railway,  one  of  the 
conditions  of  the  change  required  by  Mr.  Willard,  was  the  fol 
lowing  :  "  1st,  It  will  be  requisite  that  the  railway  company 
should  refund  the  money  which  has  been  expended  at  the 


Report  of  Building  Committee,  June,  1826. 


112  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

Bunker  Hill  Ledge,  and  pay  me  the  fair  value  of  my  right  in 
that  ledge." 

The  change  was  not  made.  The  quarry  was  opened  arid 
worked,  and  at  the  end  of  six  months,  with  all  the  preliminary 
preparations,  the  committee  say,  "  Under  the  eye  of  the  indefat 
igable  Superintendent,  more  than  three  thousand  tons  of  stone 
have  been  split  from  the  beds  in  form,  and  lie  ready  to  roll  down 
the  railway  as  soon  as  it  is  opened  to  them."  A  little  reflection 
will  suggest  to  the  intelligent  reader  how  much  labor,  in 
preparation,  opening  and  working  the  ledge,  is  included  in  this 
statement. 

Mr.  Willard's  estimate  of  the  importance  of  a  good  quarry 
for  the  work  to  be  done,  may  be  seen  in  the  following  sentence 
from  a  report  written  by  him  in  November,  1827  :  "  The  most 
important  object  of  attention  in  erecting  a  work  of  the  magnitude 
and  construction  of  the  one  in  progress,  is  a  good  quarry  —  as 
the  getting  out  of  the  stone  required  is  an  arduous  and  expensive 
undertaking,  and  indeed,  I  consider  a  good  ledge  in  such  a  case 
as  not  only  the  first  requisite  to  success,  but  (as  has  been  said 
in  another  case,)  the  second  and  the  third  also." 

The  Directors,  however,  seem  to  have  had  a  different  view 
of  this  matter,  for  in  their  address  to  the  public,  in  1830,  they 
express  themselves  as  follows  :  "  The  Directors  thought  that  the 
chief  precaution  to  be  observed  was  to  engage  the  services  of  an 
architect  of  acknowledged  taste  and  skill,  (and  such  an  one  they 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  find  in  Mr.  Willard,)  and  to  take  all 
practicable  means  to  ensure  economy  in  the  expenditures  made 
necessary  in  the  progress  of  the  work." 

The  purchase  of  this  quarry,  according  to  Mr.  Willard's  cal 
culation,  fixed  the  cost  of  the  material  for  the  monument  in  the 
ledge,  at  about  a  quarter  of  a  cent  per  cubic  foot. 


MEMOIR,    OF    SOLOMON   WILLAKD.  113 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE    RAILWAY    ENTERPRISE    AND    CONTRACT. 


THE  circumstance  has  been  noticed  that  the  proposition  to 
build  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  was  the  immediate  suggestion 
and  reason  for  introducing  the  Railroad  into  this  country  :  and 
it  is  true  that  the  first  work  of  the  kind  on  this  continent  was 
built  and  used  for  the  transportation  of  the  material  to  erect 
that  monument.  Insignificant  as  this  now  seems,  it  was  an 
enterprise  of  considerable  importance,  and  probably  would  not 
have  been  undertaken,  at  the  time,  but  for  the  patriotic  motive 
connected  with  it  in  the  minds  of  the  builders  :  it  is  therefore 
right  to  say  we  should  not  as  early  as  1825,  have  adopted  this 
species  of  "  internal  improvements,"  regarded  even  at  a  later 
period  as  an  experiment,  excepting  for  the  intention  of  building 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  —  and  might  have  had  to-day,  instead 
of  that  magnificent  line  of  railroads  which  crosses  the  State, 
Colonel  Baldwin's  gigantic  canal  flowing  through  the  "Hoosac 
tunnel"  and  meandering  along  the  vallies  either  side  of  it,  be 
tween  the  Hudson  River  and  Boston  Harbor. 

Tramways  and  Railways  had  been  in  operation  in  England, 
at  the  coal  mines,  for  several  years  —  the  result  of  a  gradual 
progress  towards  the  great  achievements  of  the  present  day.  — 
The  success  which  had  attended  the  use  of  these  in  the  transpor 
tation  of  heavy  burdens  to  tide-water,  naturally  led  to  the  belief 
that  they  would  be  found  equally  advantageous  and  economical 
15 


114  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

at  the  granite  quarries  in  Quincy,  and  a  considerable  saving  of 
expense  was  expected  by  the  monument  association  from  their 
introduction.  It  was  therefore  determined  to  await  the  con 
struction  of  the  railway  before  the  removal  of  the  stone  for  the 
work  should  be  commenced. 

In  January,  1826,*  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  Massachu 
setts  Legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation  to  construct  a  rail 
way,  in  the  following  form  :— 

•'  The  undersigned  petitioners  represent  that  it  would  be  of 
great  public  utility  to  establish  a  Railway  from  certain  quarries 
in  the  town  of  Quincy  to  the  tide-waters,  for  the  carrying  of 
stone  to  be  used  in  building  ;  that  your  petitioners  are  disposed 
to  establish  the  same,  or  to  aid  in  effecting  it ;  but  that  it  will 
require  a  voluntary  subscription  and  employment  of  a  large  sum 
of  money,  and  that  such  sum  can  only  be  obtained  by  extending 
the  subscription  among  many  persons,  and  that  it  would  greatly 
facilitate  the  enterprise  if  those  who  engage  in  it  should  act  un 
der  corporate  powers." 

This  petition  was  signed  by  Thomas  H.  Perkins,  William 
Sullivan,  Amos  Lawrence,  Solomon  Willard,  David  Moody  and 
Gridley  Bryant.  An  act  of  incorporation  was  granted  by  the 
legislature,  and  was  approved  on  the  fourth  of  March,  1826.  — 
The  company  was  immediately  organized  and  Colonel  Thomas 
H.  Perkins  chosen  President.  The  route  was  surveyed  and  the 
railway  built  during  the  year,  but  not  without  the  most  tedious 


*The  "  Report  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  on 
fie  routes  of  Canals  from  Boston  Harbor  to  Connecticut  and  Hudson  Rivers," 
(including  Colonel  Baldwin's  various  surveys,)  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  by 
Governor  Lincoln,  on  the  llth  of  January  1826,  the  very  day  on  which  an 
"  order  of  notice"  was  issued  on  the  petition  for  the  railway.  It  is  understood 
that  Colonel  Baldwin  declined  to  serve  on  the  Building  Committee  of  the  Mon 
ument  Association,  partly  for  the  reason  that  he  was  engaged  on  these  surveys 
and  expected  to  be  occupied  in  carrying  forward  the  great  public  work  then 
contemplated. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  115 

delays  ;  and  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  March,  1827,  a  contract 
was  made  with  the  Building  Committee  for  the  transportation  of 
the  stone  from  the  quarry  to  the  wharf  in  Charlestown.  By 
this  contract  the  railway  company^  agrees  "to  receive  on  the 
said  company's  railway,  during  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and 
twenty-seven,  three  thousand  tons  of  hewn  stone,  to  be  used  in 
building  the  monument  aforesaid,  at  such  times  during  the  said 
year  as  the  said  John  C.  Warren,  or  the  Superintendent,  shall 
offer  to  be  carried,  and  not  exceeding  thirty  tons  in  any  one 
day  —  and  that  said  company  will  carry  the  same  hewn  stone 
from  the  place  where  the  same  shall  be  delivered  on  the  railway 
to  the  wharf  of  the  said  company,  and  thence  by  water  to 
Devens's  wharf  in  the  town  of  Charlestown,  and  there  deliver 
the  same,  ....  and  the  said  company  hereby  promise 
to  do  the  said  carrying  with  all  reasonable  care  and  fidelity  and 
without  doing  any  injury  to  the  stone  which  can  be  avoided  with 
due  care  and  reasonable  diligence." 

Like  those  in  England,  until  the  successful  experiments 
of  Blackett  and  Stephenson,  in  the  invention  of  the  locomotive 
and  the  application  of  steam,  this  railway  was  operated  by 
horse-power,  and  as  it  has  not  been  extended,  has  required 
no  other  motor.  The  first  proposition  of  the  railway  company 
was  to  transport  the  stone  from  the  quarry  to  the  tide-water,  at 
fifty  cents  per  ton,  and  from  thence  by  lighters  to  the  wharf  at 
Charlestown,  at  forty  cents  ;  but  the  contract,  which  was  negotiat 
ed  by  General  Dearborn  and  Mr.  Lawrence,  on  the  part  of  the 
association,  fixed  the  price  at  seventy-five  cents  per  ton  for  the 
whole  distance.  For  some  reason  not  now  apparent,  Mr.  Wil- 
lard,  a  part  of  whose  duty  it  was  to  assist  in  making  contracts 
for  the  work,  declined  to  take  part  in  this  negotiation,  and  seems 
to  have  become  early  dissatisfied  with  the  contract  and  the  "  de 
linquencies,"  as  he  calls  them,  of  the  company. 

Two  months  after  the  completion  of  the  contract,  in  May, 
1827,  Mr.  Willard  had  become  impatient  of  the  delays  which 


116  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

annoyed  him,-  asked  for  a  copy  of  the  contract,  and  suggested 
to  the  Building  Committee  the  propriety  of  discharging  the 
workmen  at  the  hill.  He  wrote  to  the  chairman,  Dr.  Warren, 

as  follows  :— 

l£  The  Railway  Company,  through  mismanagement,  have  been 
rather  unfortunate,  and  there  is  little  prospect  of  our  stone  which 
are  first  wanted,  being  carried  very  soon.  Mr.  Savage  called  on 
me  at  Quincy  for  direction,  and  suggested  the  idea  of  discharging 
the  men  at  the  hill  for  the  present.  ...  We  have  been  in 
readiness  to  commence  the  mason  work  for  a  month  and  have 
been  waiting  ever  since  for  the  stone  to  be  carried.  As  I  never 
had  any  confidence  in  the  contract  being  fulfilled,  on  the  part  of 
the  railway  company,  and  as  the  agreement  was  made  by  the 
committee  contrary  to  my  wishes,  I  consider  myself  free  from 
responsibility  for  any  hindrance  or  loss  which  may  be  sustained 
in  consequence  of  this  contract." 

Mr.  Willafd,  however,  had  recommended  that  a  contract  with 
the  railway  company  should  be  made,  only  a  month  before  it 
was  completed,  and  the  ground  of  his  complaint  seems  to  have 
been  that  it  was  "  unskilfully  made."  On  the  fifteenth  of  May, 
Mr.  Lawrence  informed  Mr.  Willard  of  a  modification  of  the 
contract,  by  which  Mr.  Gridley  Bryant,  the  agent  of  the  railway 
company,  had  agreed  "for  you  to  load  the  stone  upon  the  rail 
way  carriages  at  five  cents  per  ton."  But  the  trouble  was  a 
continuous  annoyance :  and  on  the  twenty-third  of  September, 
Mr.  Willard  writes  sharply  to  Mr.  Bryant,  "  As  we  have  nearly 
a>  hundred  tons  of  stone  ready  to  move,  we  wish  to  see  your 
carriages  at  our  shed  to-morrow  morning.  Our  work  will  close 
for  the  season  in  about  eight  weeks,  and  we  shall  prepare  a 
freight  of  seventy  tons  each  week,  if  no  accident  occurs.  It 
will  be  important  that  we  shall  be  kept  clear." 

In  a  letter  of  the  next  year  addressed  to  General  Dearborn, 
as  one  of  the  committee  on  accounts,  Mr.  Willard  explains  this 


MEMOIR    OP   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  117 

matter  and  endeavors  to  show  that  as  a  means  of  facilitating 
or  cheapening  the  work  on  the  monument,  the  railway  had  failed 
of  its  purpose  :  — 

"  Quincy,  [dale  left  blank,]  1828. 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  enclosed  a  copy  of  the  instructions 
which  I  received  from  the  Building  Committee  a  year  ago.  It 
wrill  be  seen  by  these  instructions  that  the  committee  had  author 
ized  me  to  make  all  the  contracts  which  were  required  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  work  of  erecting  the  monument  for  the  season 
past.  In  one  case,  hoAvever,  courtesy  induced  me  to  refer  back 
the  power  given  me,  and  I  allowed  the  committee  to  make  a 
contract  which  I  considered  injurious  to  the  interests  of  our 
employers.  I  refer  to  that  made  with  the  Railway  Company. 
This  appeared  to  me  unskilfully  made  in  two  respects  :  the 
Railway  Company  were  neither  accountable  for  the  fracture  of 
the  stone,  nor  bound  to  fulfil  their  agreement.  And  this  con 
tract  has  not  only  proved  an  expensive  thing  to  the  association, 
but  a  source  of  infinite  trouble  to  me. 

"  There  has  been  a  strange  misapprehension  respecting  the 
importance  of  the  railway  to  us.  The  following  statement,  I 
think,  will  illustrate  this  point :  The  whole  quantity  of  stone 
carried  from  our  ledge  to  the  water,  is  2287  tons,  which  at  35 
cents  per  ton,  comes  to  $800  45.  The  price  offered  by  a  re 
spectable  company  for  hauling  in  the  common  way,  was  50  cents 
per  ton,  —  so  that,  all  the  gain  that  was  ever  expected,  provided 
they  had  fulfilled  their  agreement,  was  only  the  difference 
between  35  and  50  cents,  on  2287  tons,  $343  05,  in  a  work 
where  $28,000  had  been  expended. 

•'  On  the  other  side  of  the  account  we  must  reckon  the  loss  of 
two  years  in  waiting  for  this  company  to  perform  a  job  which 
amounts  to  little  more  than  $800.  For  loss  in  time  no  estimate 
in  money  can  be  made.  It  has  been,  however,  an  injury  which 
is  irreparable.  The  loss  in  cash  paid  to  men  with  their  hands 
tied  in  consequence  of  the  delinquency  of  the  railway  company. 


118  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

(I  should  say,  to  speak  within  bounds,)  was  ten  times  the  whole 
cost  of  carrying  2287  tons  to  the  water,  to  which  must  be  added 
the  sacrifice  of  an  invaluable  quarry. 

"  It  would  have  been  much  better  for  my  own  interest  and 
reputation,  had  I  paid  the  $343  and  carried  the  stone  in  the 
common  way,  and  it  would  also  have  saved  thousands  to  the 
association. 

"  It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  statements  that  the  railway 
has  been  of  little  consequence  to  us,  nor  can  it  be,  provided  the 
company  were  well  disposed,  as  it  costs  them  to  carry  our  stone 
twice  what  we  give  them  for  it." 

This  last  statement,  repeated  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Bry 
ant,  probably  accounts  for,  if  it  does  not  excuse,  some  portion 
of  the  neglect  or  mismanagement  alleged  against  the  railway 
company,  which  appears  to  have  been  so  vexatious  and  trouble 
some  to  Mr.  Willard,  who  undoubtedly,  we  think,  is  somewhat 
to  blame  in  this  matter  :  he  encouraged  the  building  of  the  road 
and  making  of  the  contract,  and  while  he  asserts  that  "  the 
agreement  was  made  by  the  committee  contrary  to  his  wishes," 
he  also  says  "  I  allowed  the  committee  to  make  a  contract  which 
I  considered  injurious  to  the  interests  of  our  employers."  On 
this  statement  he  was  blamable  —  though  possibly  he  "  allowed" 
what  he  could  not  prevent  in  the  hope  that  his  apprehensions 
might  prove  groundless.  Mr.  Willard  was  probably  wrong  also 
in  supposing  the  railway  company  not  well  disposed  towards  the 
monument  association,  as  the  President  was  one  of  its  earliest 
and  firmest  friends. 

As  the  use  of  this  railway  was  continued  for  many  years  after 
the  date  of  these  transactions,  by  Mr.  Willard  himself,  and  is 
still  used,  it  is  probable  that  its  services  were  found  to  be 
valuable  and  its  earnings  remunerative  to  the  proprietors, 
especially  after  they  became  the  owners  of  the  quarry. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  119 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


PRELIMINARY    WORK    ON    THE    MONUMENT. 


THE  first  year  of  Mr.  Willard's  service,  from  November, 
1825,  to  November,  1826.  was  mostly  devoted  to  preliminary 
matters,  under  a  general  vote  of  the  committee,  ':  authorising 
and  empowering  the  chairman  to  take  measures  for  proceeding 
in  the  construction  of  the  monument,  with  all  expedition,  and 
that  whenever  he  may  think  necessary  he  call  a  meeting  of  this 
committee."  The  purchase  of  the  quarry  had  been  effected,  as 
already  stated,  and  the  supply  of  stone  secured.  The  railway 
act  had  been  obtained  and  the  work  began.  The  old  foundation  of 
the  monument  had  been  taken  up  and  preparations  for  the  new 
foundation  made.  It  was  soon  after  practically  decided  to  do  the 
hammering  of  the  stone  at  the  ledge,  and  a  boarding-house  and 
other  buildings  were  erected  there  to  accommodate  the  workmen. 
A  contract  was  also  made  for  the  transportation  of  the  stone. 

In  reporting  upon  the  work  done  in  thirteen  months,  Mr. 
Willard  says,  ' i  From  a  recent  examination  of  the  accounts  kept 
at  the  ledge,  it  is  ascertained  that  the  whole  sum  paid  out  of  the 
funds  of  the  association,  from  the  15th  of  November,  1825,  to 
the  15th  of  December,  1826,  little  exceeds  ten  thousand  dollars, 
of  which  $348  has  been  paid  for  digging  out  the  foundation  on 
Bunker  Hill :  $195  for  four  acres  of  land  near  the  quarry,  and 
$712  for  building  a  boarding-house  for  the  workmen.  The 
quarrying  apparatus  has  cost  $2000,  and  is  now  on  hand,  partly 


120  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

worn,  but  is  probably  worth  two-thirds  its  first  cost.  It  consists 
of  machinery,  lumber,  iron,  steel,  hammers,  bars,  wedges,  &c. 
The  house  and  land  are  probably  worth  what  they  cost.  If  we 
deduct  the  above  from  the  sum  stated,  there  would  be  left  $6,- 
745,  total  expended  in  opening  the  quarry,  making  roads,  quar 
rying  and  rough  dressing  20,000  feet  of  foundation  stone  and 
10,000  feet  of  fine  hammering  —  to  which  must  be  added  the 
cost  of  transporting  125  tons  of  stone  to  Charlestown. 

' '  Much  time  has  been  necessarily  spent  in  clearing  and  open 
ing  the  ledge,  making  roads,  and  much  unnecessarily  wasted  by 
the  delinquency  of  the  railway  company.  The  20,000  feet  of 
foundation,'  although  but  a  small  part  of  the  work  executed  with 
in  the  thirteen  months,  would  come  to  more,  at  the  prices  charged 
for  similar  work  at  the  prison,  than  the  whole  sum  paid  out." 

The  experiments  instituted  by  Mr.  Willard  at  this  time,  to 
ascertain  the  cost  of  dressing  the  different  blocks  of  stone,  net 
measure,  whether  circular  or  straight,  and  allowing  two  feet  of 
coarse  dressing  for  one  of  fine  dressing,  resulted  as  follows  :— 
433  feet  quoins  and  hollow  cone,  36  cents  per  foot ;  81  feet 
platform  and  steps,  39  cents :  steps  jobbed  out  in  winter,  26 
cents ;  large  quantity  of  hollow  cone  by  sundry  persons,  30 
cents  —  average  32  J  cents  per  foot,  to  which  six  cents  per  foot 
may  be  added  for  tools. 

In  view  of  the  work  which  had  been  done  and  the  plans  to  be 
pursued  for  the  coming  year,  Mr.  Willard  addressed  to  the 
chairman  the  following  letter  : — 

"  Quincy,  November  6th,  1826. 

"Dear  Sir: — As  my  engagement  expires  on  the  9th  of 
November,  a  new  agreement  becomes  necessary.  I  should  like 
to  engage  for  another  year,  if  past  services  have  met  the  appro 
bation  of  the  committee ;  and  as  a  compensation,  I  would  engage 
on  the  condition  that  the  necessary  expenses  of  living  should  be 
paid  by  the  association. 

"  The  past  month  having  been  an  important  one  to  us,  it  has 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  121 

been  thought  expedient  to  employ  an  extra  number  of  workmen, 
and  the  monthly  expenditure  has  increased  proportionately.  — 
On  the  4th  of  November,  there  was  due  from  the  association  to 
various  persons,  the  sum  of  nineteen  ^hundred  dollars.  It  might 
be  well  to  have  these  bills  all  paid  before  the  ninth  of  the  pre 
sent  month. 

' l  If  the  committee  should  consider  it  for  their  interest  to  give 
me  charge  of  the  work  another  year,  I  should  like  to  have  the 
plan  in  all  its  details  for  prosecuting  the  work  agreed  on  by 
them,  with  written  instructions  to  me.  The  experience  of  the 
last  year  induces  me  to  suggest  the  following  for  their  consid 
eration  :-— 

"  I  should  not  think  it  for  the  interest  of  the  association  to 
attempt  the  transportation  of  any  of  the  stock  to  Bunker  Hill 
this  fall,  as  it  is  late  and  the  carriages  for  transporting  on  the 
railway  and  machinery  for  loading,  are  not  in  readiness  at 
Quincy. 

"  For  unloading  in  Charlestown  it  will  require  an  apparatus 
of  considerable  expense,  which  would  be  exposed  through  the 
winter,  and  the  loss  would  over-balance  any  advantage  which 
could  be  derived  from  it.  I  would  rather  spend  the  time,  be 
tween  this  and  March,  in  making  the  necessary  preparations  for 
a  rapid  movement  in  the  spring.  Should  the  hammering  be 
done  at  the  ledge,  a  shed  should  be  erected  to  shelter  the  work 
men.  A  large  space  should  be  levelled  in  and  about  the  shed. 
The  rough  and  the  hammered  stone  should  be  removed  out  of 
the  way,  and  the  ledge  should  also  be  cleared  of  every  incum- 
brance. 

"  The  timber-run  from  the  ledge  should  be  repaired  and  all  the 
quarrying  apparatus  put  in  the  best  order.  The  winter  would 
be  a  favorable  time  to  finish  the  drawings  and  models  which  are 
requisite,  and  experiments  may  be  made  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
exact  value  [cost]  of  hammering  each  of  the  blocks  of  the  stone 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  monument.  This  is  indispensable 
16 


122  MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

whether  the  stone  are  hammered  at  the  prison  or  not,  as  the 
experiment  will  enable  us  to  detect  any  overcharge  in  their  bills, 
and  if  the  work  is  done  at  the  ledge,  the  fair  value  per  foot  will 
be  determined.* 

11  For  the  above  service  a  small  number  of  men  will  be  suffi 
cient.  For  the  building  of  the  sheds,  clearing  and  levelling,  it 
might  require  six  men,  including  the  master  quarryman.  The 
experiment  might  require  four  hammerers,  and  it  would  be 
necessary  to  have  two  blacksmiths  to  make  new  hammers,  sledges, 
jacks  and  other  quarrying  apparatus  wanted.  The  winter  months 
are  profitable  for  doing  the  blacksmith's  work,  and  the  only  loss 
in  doing  it  at  this  season  is  the  interest  of  the  money  on  the 
stock  for  a  few  months,  which  would  be  greatly  over-balanced 
by  the  convenience  of  having  the  tools  ready. 

"  In  commencing  the  work  next  season,  I  suppose  the  railway 
company  will  deliver  the  stone  at  the  wharf  and  furnish  appa 
ratus  for  loading,  and  they  intend  to  furnish  vessels  to  transport 
the  stone,  which  are  to  be  towed  by  a  steamboat.  Should  .these 
vessels  not  be  ready  by  the  time  the  ice  leaves  the  river,  we  can 
employ  lighters. 

"  At  the  landing  in  Charlestown,  (at  Devens's  wharf,)  it  may 
become  necessary  to  erect  a  kind  of  crane  to  unload  the  stone. 
From  the  wharf  the  stone  will  be  carried  to  the  hill  on  a  wagon 
already  constructed,  and  by  the  persons  who  have  agreed  to  do 
it.  I  should  recommend  that  a  rigger  should  be  employed  by 
the  day  to  fit  up  the  machinery,  and  to  do  the  hoisting,  and  a 
good  mason,  to  see  to  the  laying  of  the  stone  under  my  direc 
tion.  The  lime,  sand,  and  iron  for  cramps,  may  be  bought  by 
the  quantity  as  they  are  wanted. 

"  Bunker  Hill,  on  the  south  side,  w^here  the  road  will  pass,  is 
rather  steep  and  springy,  and  it  has  been  suggested  that  it  might 
be  economy  for  us  to  lay  flags  of  granite  for  the  wheels  to  run 
on  in  the  manner  of  an  Italian  railway,  [?]  which  would  proba 
bly  make  a  difference  in  the  draft  of  a  common  load  of  one  yoke 
of  oxen.  These  flags  may  be  got  out  this  winter,  and  laid  in 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  123 

the  spring,  and  when  the  work  is  completed,  may  be  taken  up 
and  sold. 

' '  The  work  requires  the  aid  of  all  its  friends,  to  forward  it  with 
the  desired  expedition,  and  if  I  should  be  engaged  another  year, 
I  should  like  to  have  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  give  more 
attention  to  it  than  in  the  past,  or  if  this  is  inconvenient,  to 
authorize  some  other  person.  If  it  becomes  a  necessary  part  of 
my  duty  to  receive  and  pay  out  money,  I  should  like  to  have 
such  an  arrangement  made  as  that  I  could  receive  it  by  calling 
on  a  single  individual. 

"  Yours,  respectfully, 

SOLOMON  WILLARD." 

"John  C.  Warren,  Chairman  of  Committee." 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1826,  the  Building  Committee  held 
a  meeting  at  Quincy,  when  there  were  present,  the  Chairman, 
(Dr.  Warren,)  George  Blake,  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn,  and  Amos 
Lawrence.  There  were  present  also  Edward  Everett,  Nathaniel 
P.  Russell,  and  Nathan  Appleton,  of  the  Board  of  Directors.— 
After  examining  the  Railway,  which  was  then  in  progress,  "  the 
Committee  next  examined  the  Bunker  Hill  Ledge,  and  were 
fully  satisfied  with  the  progress  made  in  getting  out  stone,  and 
at  the  economy  and  dexterity  of  the  processes  employed  for  the 
purpose."* 


*  Records  of  the  Building  Committee,  1826. 


124  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


NEW    CONTRACT    AND    INSTRUCTIONS. 


IN  November,  1826,  the  contract  with  Mr.  Willard  expired, 
of  course  with  an  understanding  that  it  would  be  renewed ;  aad 
on  the  7th  of  December,  the  Chairman  forwarded  to  him  copies 
of  a  new  contract,  which  were  signed  and  executed  as  follows : 

"  Contract  between  John  C.  Warren,  as  chairman,  etc.,  on  the 
one  part,  and  Solomon  Willard,  architect,  on  the  other  part, 
Witnesseth,  The  said  Willard  having  been  appointed  Architect 
and  Superintendent  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  doth  agree 
to  prepare  the  requisite  models  and  drawings  ;  to  aid  in  making 
the  contracts  :  to  superintend  the  completion  of  the  same  ;  and 
to  do  such  other  duties  as  may  be  required  to  facilitate  the  erec 
tion  of  said  monument :  In  consideration  of  five  hundred  dollars 
a  year,  so  long  as  he  may  perform  the  above  duties,  to  be  paid 
by  said  Warren  in  behalf  of  the  above-named  corporation. 

"  And  this  contract  is  to  remain  in  force  until  the  monument 
is  erected  ;  or  the  funds  of  the  corporation  are  exhausted  ;  unless 
revoked  by  consent  of  the  two  contracting  parties. 

JOHN  C.  WARREN. 
SOLOMON  WILLARD." 
"  Boston,  December  7,  1826." 

This  contract  differed  materially  from  the  former  one  but  was 
still  not  what  Mr.  Willard  wanted.  It  made  the  appointment 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  125 

permanent,  but  continued  a  fixed  nominal  salary  which  was  dis 
agreeable  to  him.  The  original  copy  of  this  contract,  found 
among  Mr.  Lawrence's  papers,  bears  the  following  endorsement, 
in  his  hand- writing  :  "  Mem.  Mr.  Willard' s  intention  was  not 
to  have  a  salary,  but  a  support,  which  up  to  the  period  of  Jan 
uary,  1829,  has  not  exceeded  the  sum  named  as  a  salary." 

The  instructions  given  to  Mr.  Willard,  in  accordance  with  his 
own  request,  were  the  following  : 

"  The  Building  Committee  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Asso 
ciation,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  corporation  for  erecting 
a  monument  on  Bunker  Hill,  to  Solomon  Willard,  Esq., 
"  Whereas  this  Committee,  having  special  confidence  in  your 
abilities  and  integrity,  do  hereby  appoint  you  Architect  for  the 
construction  of  said  monument,  and  furthermore  they  do  also 
appoint  you  Superintendent  of  the  execution  of  the  same,  in  all 
its  details ;  and  also  commit  these  important  trusts  to  your 
charge  in  full  confidence  that  you  will  employ  your  best  ability 
to  complete  the  same  with  all  the  economy  and  despatch  so 
great  a  work  will  permit. 

"  In  the  execution  of  the  monument,  you  will  take  for  your 
guide  a  plan  drawn  by  yourself  and  accepted  by  the  Directors  of 
the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  which  plan  is  now  in 
your  hands  — •  and  all  the  models  and  plans  are  to  be  formed  on 
the  ground  of  the  above  plan,  and  you  are  requested  to  have  all 
plans,  models  and  all  parts  of  the  work  under  your  care,  so  ar 
ranged  that  in  case  of  any  accident  befalling  to  you,  (which  may 
a  good  Providence  avert,)  the  plans,  models  and  other  works 
may  be  delivered  over  to  your  successor,  so  that  the  great  work 
which  you  have  conducted  thus  far,  may  be  continued  without 
'impediment. 

':  As  a  considerable  quantity  of  material  for  the  construction 
of  the  monument  is  already  got  out,  and  as  your  experience  on 
this  subject  will  guide  you  as  to  the  quantities  and  times  of 


126  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLAED. 

preparing  them,  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  any  instructions  on 
this  head.  Our  wish  is  that  a  sufficient  quantity  of  stone  should 
be  got  ready  to  begin  the  construction  of  the  monument  as  early 
in  the  spring  as  the  weather  will  allow  ;  and  to  carry  it  on  with 
out  delay  through  the  following  season. 

"  We  do  not  consider  it  best  to  transport  any  stone  to  Charles- 
town  this  season,  except  a  small  quantity,  as  an  experiment 
made  to  gratify  the  public  curiosity.  But  we  should  wish  that 
contracts  should  be  made  for  the  transportation  of  the  stone  to 
Charlestown,  in  season  to  open  the  spring  without  delay.  It 
would  be  best  also  to  make  all  other  contracts  in  season  to  pre 
vent  loss  of  time  ;  and  therefore  we  authorize  you  to  make  such 
contracts  for  the  sand,  lime  and  other  materials,  and  also  for 
masons'  and  carpenters'  and  blacksmiths'  work,  as  far  forward 
as  you  can  see  the  necessity  of  employing  such  workmen. 

"  In  order  to  determine  whether  it  will  be  best  to  have  the 
stone  hammered  at  the  quarry,  or  in  Charlestown,  we  wish  you 
to  make  an  experiment  of  the  cost  of  hammering  stone  of  the 
various  forms  you  may  require  ;  and  this  being  done,  to  apply 
to  the  Superintendent  of  the  State  Prison  to  ascertain  what  the 
hammering  of  similar  stones  would  cost  at  the  prison.  In  case 
we  should  decide  to  have  the  hammering  done  at  the  quarry,  we 
authorize  you  to  erect  the  necessary  buildings,  procure  the 
requisite  apparatus,  and  to  employ  as  many  hands  as  may  be 
required  for  such  work  —  and  the  sooner  this  is  done  after 
the  principal  point  is  settled  the  better. 

"  You  will  no  doubt  employ  this  winter  in  making  such  plans 
and  models  as  may  be  wanted ;  in  getting  all  machinery  in  good 
order,  and  placing  it  in  the  most  convenient  situation,  and  for 
these  purposes  you  are  authorized  to  employ  suitable  artificers. 
It  will  be  best  to  see  that  a  proper  wharf  or  place  for  landing 
the  stone  at  Charlestown,  is  secured  for  the  benefit  of  our  ope 
rations,  as  long  as  may  be  required,  provided  the  expense  thereof 
be  not  great.  Also  that  the  wharf  thus  procured  be  in  a  proper 
condition  to  receive  the  material,  and  all  necessary  works  be 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLAED.  127 

erected  there  in  good  time.  We  also  authorize  you  to  lay  flag 
stones  of  granite  on  that  part  of  Bunker  Hill  where  you  deter 
mine  to  carry  up  the  stone. 

"  In  case  of  any  deficiency  in  your  instructions  or  the  occur 
rence  of  any  new  question,  you  will  refer  to  the  committee 
through  the  Chairman,  and  whenever  the  case  is  important  this 
should  be  done  in  writing. 

"  You  will  be  provided  with  such  monies  as  you  may  require 
by  applying  to  the  Chairman,  giving  him  sufficient  notice,  so 
that  he  may  have  time  to  draw  the  money  from  the  Treasury  ; 
and  you  will  exhibit  the  state  of  your  accounts  monthly,  or  as 
nearly  so  as  your  duties  permit,  to  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq.,  who 
with  the  Chairman,  constitute  the  Committee  of  Accounts. 

11  Should  you  find  it  necessary,  in  order  that  you  may  devote 
your  time  to  more  important  objects,  officers  will  be  appointed 
under  you,  for  writing,  payment  of  monies,  and  the  performance 
of  other  duties  which  might  interfere  with  higher  concerns. 
,  "Byt  order 'of  the  Building  Committee  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument  Association. 

JOHN  C.  WARREN,  Chairman." 

"  Boston,  December  1,  1826." 


128  MEMOIR    OP  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


MISUNDERSTANDING   AND   RECONCILIATION. 


IT  is  no  purpose  of  this  memoir  to  revive  or  publish  any  per 
sonal  misunderstandings,  which  may,  perhaps  very  naturally, 
have  arisen  between  the  parties  having  a  duty  to  perform  or  an 
interest  in  the  progress  of  the  work  on  the  monument.  Nor 
must  it  be  inferred  from  this  remark  that  anything  of  a  serious 
character  as  to  persons,  or  of  importance  as  regards  the  public, 
ever  occurred  to  disturb  the  harmony  which  existed  in  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  the  Building  Committee,  and  characterized  the 
relations  between  these  bodies  and  the  Superintendent.  On  the 
contrary,  in  all  the  discussions  in  relation  to  the  adoption  of  a 
design  for  the  monument,  in  the  selection  of  an  architect,  in  the 
initiation  of  measures  for  the  advancement  of  the  enterprise,  in 
the  suggestion  of  a  lottery  for  the  same  purpose,  in  the  proposi 
tion  for  the  sale  of  the  land  comprising  the  battle-field,  and  in 
other  matters,  where  there  might  arise  differences  of  opinion,  all 
feelings  were  consulted,  the  great  interests  of  the  work  consid 
ered,  and  unity  of  action  as  of  purpose,  generally  obtained.  In 
some  of  these  cases,  personal  opinions  and  preferences  were 
readily  yielded  to  promote  the  paramount  purposes  of  the 
association. 

In  the  early  part  of  1827,  there  grew  up  from  various  causes 
and  influences,  some  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  Superin 
tendent  :  which,  as  soon  as  expressed  by  him.  was  promptly  ex- 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  129 

plained  and  adjusted  in  a  manner  especially  honorable  to  the 
Building  Committee,  the  Railway  Company  and  the  Architect. 
Annoyed  as  Mr.  Willard  had  been  by  the  delays  in  the  progress 
of  the  railway  and  the  operations  of  the  company,  and  probably 
a  little  restless  under  the  suggestion  *  made  to  change  the  design 
of  the  monument,  to  which  he  refers  in  a  letter  of  February, 
1827,  as  follows  :  '-A  vote  of  the  Directors  at  the  last  meeting 
to  adhere  to  the  plan  first  adopted,  settles  the  question  as 
respects  any  change  in  the  form,"  —he  was  perhaps  too  sensi 
tive  to  some  action  of  the  Directors  or  the  Building  Committee, 
which  he  alleges  took  place  on  the  17th  of  June.  The  follow 
ing  note  suddenly  opened  the  correspondence  and  the  difficulty  : 

11  Wednesday  morning,  June  20th,  1827. 
"  Dear  Sir, — The  vote  of  the  Association  [?]  on  the  17th, 
leaves  me  but  one  course  to  pursue  :  I  shall  remove  whatever 
belongs  to  me  in  Quincy,  this  day,  and  shall  give  no  farther 
direction  to  the  workmen.  Your  interests  there  may  require 
attention.  I  should  have  given  you  earlier  notice  had  you  called 
on  me  yesterday. 

"  Yours,  respectfully, 

SOLOMON  WILLARD. 
"  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq." 

How  far  this  letter  was  censurable  or  justifiable,  —  and  it  cer 
tainly  seems  to  have  been  somewhat  hasty,  —  we  have  now  no 
means  of  deciding,  as  both  mystery  and  confusion  envelop  the 
subject.  We  have  two  copies  of  Mr.  Willard' s  note,  each  in 
his  hand-writing  and  precisely  alike,  —  yet,  according  to  its 
own  date,  the  17th  must  have  been  Sunday,  on  which  day  a 
meeting  of  the  Association,  or  of  the  Directors,  would  not  have 
been  held.  Nor  are  there  any  proceedings  on  record,  at  this 
time,  having  a  particular  or  even  a  general  reference  to  Mr. 
Willard.  The  only  action  recorded  that  might  be  displeasing 
to  him,  was  the  choice  at  a  meeting  of  the  Building  Committee, 
on  the  18th,  of  the  President  of  the  Railway  company,  Colonel 
17 


130  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

Perkins,  to  be  chairman  of  the  Committee,  in  the  place  of 
Dr.  Warren,  who  had  declined  a  reelection.  Mr.  Willard's 
displeasure  with  the  Railway  company  would  very  naturally 
extend  to  its  President. 

Mr.  Lawrence's  reply  to  Mr.  Willard  is  as  follows  : — 

"  June  23d,  1827. 

"  My  Dear  Sir,  —  I  called  at  your  office  this  morning,  and 
not  finding  you,  wish  you  to  inform  me  what  your  wishes  are, 
that  will  obviate  your  objections  to  remaining  in  the  superinten 
dence  of  the  great  work  thus  far  so  favorably  prosecuted  by 
you.  The  inference  you  gathered  from  the  late  doings  of  the 
Directors,  having  in  them  anything  intended  to  be  disrespectful 
to  yourself,  I  do  most  solemnly  assure  you  is  without  founda 
tion.  I  need  not  again  assure  you  how  much  I  desire  the  work 

to  go  on  under  your  care. 

AMOS  LAWRENCE. 
"  Solomon  Willard,  Superintendent." 

The  reply  of  Mr.  Willard  to  this  assurance  of  respect  and 
to  the  personal  desire  of  his  friend,  —  who.  from  the  be 
ginning  of  the  enterprise  to  the  end,  had  manifested  the  highest 
appreciation  of  his  services,  his  disinterested  patriotism  and  his 
devotion  to  the  work,  —  is  out-spoken,  characteristic  and  decided. 
He  calls  it  "  Copy  of  a  letter  from  the  ex-  Superintendent  to 
Amos  Lawrence,  Esq.,  in  answer  to  the  foregoing,"  and  it  is 
dated  on  the  same  day  :— 

"Dear  Sir,  —  The  thought  of  returning  to  take  charge  of 
the  work  in  Quincy,  never  occurred  to  me  until  this  morning, 
and  although  money  will  not  induce  me  to  return,  there  are 
other  considerations  which  might  have  some  weight,  were  certain 
objections  removed,  which  may  be  easily  done  by  the  committee 
if  they  choose. 

"  First.  I  should  want  a  new  agreement  with  the  association, 
wherein  the  condition  shall  read  thus  :  and  the  said  Superin 
tendent  shall  have  for  his  services  the  necessary  expenses  of 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  131 

living  paid  by  the  Association,  —  this  being  one  of  the  original 
terms  of  the  agreement,  but  altered  to  the  specific  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars  per  year,  by  the  Chairman,  when  the  contract 
was  executed,  which  sum  is  something  more  than  is  required  for 
the  purpose. 

"  Without  reflection  this  may  seem  trifling.  As  it  stands,  I 
perform  the  service  without  money  or  credit ;  altered,  I  should 
have  due  credit  for  what  I  do,  viz  :  of  rendering  my  services 
gratuitously.  The  practice  of  the  [late]  Chairman,  [Dr.  War 
ren,]  in  certain  cases,  will  illustrate  the  case,  who  frequently 
performs  his  services  gratis  rather  than  degrade  his  profession 
by  accepting  a  low  charge. 

"  Second.  I  should  also  wish  the  Committee  to  agree  to  fur 
nish  the  means  requisite  to  finish  the  work  as  speedily  as  a  due 
regard  to  economy  will  permit,  as  the  sum  wanted  is  trifling 
and  it  is  for  the  credit  of  all  concerned  to  terminate  the  work  in 
a  rapid  and  masterly  manner. 

"  Yours,  respectfully, 

SOLOMON  WILLARD. 

"  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq.,  one  of  the  Committee." 

On  the  25th,  General  Dearborn  addressed  to  Mr.  Willard  a 
note,  which  he  transcribed  under  this  heading — "  Copy  of  a 
letter  from  General  Dearborn,  one  of  the  Building  Committee, 
to  the  ear-Superintendent,"  —  as  follows  :  — 

"  My  Dear  Sir,  —  At  a  meeting  of  the  Building  Committee 
of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  I  was  appointed  a 
committee  to  wait  on  you  to  state  the  results  of  their  delibera 
tions  ;  but  not  finding  you  in  your  room,  must  communicate 
by  letter. 

11  The  Railway  company  will  appropriate  to  your  use,  or 
to  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  as  you  may  think 
proper,  one  thousand  dollars,,  for  the  right  you  had  in  the 


132  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

quarry.  Colonel  Perkins  entertains  the  highest  opinion  of  your 
integrity,  talents  and  uniform  efforts  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  great  undertaking  which  you  have  so  zealously  undertaken, 
and  you  can  rely  upon  his  harmonious  support  in  the  prosecu 
tion  of  the  work.  You  will  go  on  pleasantly  beyond  all  doubt.* 

"  As  to  your  compensation,  a  vote  was  taken  as  you  desired, 
altering  the  former  vote  so  that  it  now  stands  that  your  expenses 
are  to  be  paid  instead  of  an  annual  compensation  of  five  hun 
dred  dollars.  Thus,  I  trust,  every  difficulty  is  removed,  and 
that  you  will  return  to  the  works  as  soon  as  possible,  as  much 
depends  on  your  presence  there. 

11  If  you  can  call  out  to  my  house,  [in  Roxbury,]  this  even 
ing,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you.  As  I  am  obliged  to  leave  town 
in  the  morning,  in  the  steamboat,  at  5  o'clock,  for  Maine,  and 
shall  be  absent  eight  or  ten  days,  I  have  no  other  means  of 
communicating  with  you  than  this,  unless  you  can  spare  time 
to  call  at  my  house  this  evening. 

"  But,  at  all  events,  let  me  entreat  you  to  return  to  the 
works,  which  we  all  most  ardently  desire. 

"  With  great  esteem,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  A.  S.  DEARBORN. 

"  Solomon.  Willard,  Architect/7 

The  arrangement  proposed,  it  appears,  was  deemed  or  made 
satisfactory,  and  was  immediately  carried  into  effect,  to  the  honor 
of  all  the  parties.  The  thousand  dollars  was  justly  due  to  Mr. 
Willard,  who  had  probably  expended  nearly  as  large  a  sum  in 
his  explorations  for  a  quarry  ;  but,  regarding  it  from  his  stand 
point  as  a  profit  gained  by  reason  of  his  connection  with  the 
monument,  he  promptly  rejected  the  idea  —  suggested  by  friends 
who  knew  what  sacrifices  he  had  made  —  of  appropriating  the 


*  A  note  from  Colonel  Perkins  to  Mr.  Lawrence,  three  days  after  the  date 
of  this  note,  June  28th,  says,  "I  was  at  Bunker  Hill  Quarry  yesterday,  and 
found  Willard  very  pleasant." 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  133 

amount  to  his  own  use,*  and  in  the  same  month  prepared  and 
signed  the  following  subscription  paper.  Mr.  Lawrence  thought 
the  pleasure  of  contributing  this  large  sum  to  the  great  patriotic 
enterprise  of  the  day,  was  the  chief*  inducement  with  Mr. 
Willard  to  return  to  the  work.  He  also  induced  most  of  his 
workmen  to  make  themselves  members  of  the  association  by 
contributing  the  requisite  sum  to  its  funds  :  — 

"  Copy  of  a  subscription  paper  originated  at  the  Bunker  Hill 
Quarry,  in  Quincy,  June,  1827  : — 

"  The  subscribers,  having  been  engaged  in  the  executive  de 
partment  of  the  work  of  erecting  a  Monument  on  Bunker  Hill, 
and  wishing  to  contribute  our  share  towards  the  means  for 
prosecuting  a  work  so  successfully  begun,  and  also  wishing  to 
become  proprietors  in  the  work,  and  sharers  in  the  honor  of 
erecting  an  appropriate  monument  to  commemorate  an  important 
event,  will  cheerfully  pay  for  this  purpose  the  sums  annexed  to 
our  several  names.  The  aid  also  of  every  citizen  is  respectfully 
requested,  that  means  sufficient  may  be  obtained  to  terminate 
the  work  in  a  spirit  and  manner  worthy  of  the  heroic  deeds 
which  it  is  intended  to  commemorate. 

"  NOTE.  The  whole  sum  expended  on  the  work  to  the  sev 
enteenth  of  June,  1827,  is  $15,000.  The  work  has  been  in 
progress  nineteen  months,  in  which  time  a  new  quarry  has  been 
opened,  the  foundation  of  the  monument  quarried,  dressed  and 
laid.  The  quantity  in  the  foundation  has  been  estimated  at 
1500  tons,  (1167  measured  on  the  work,)  on  which  there  has 
been  more  than  30,000  feet  of  rough  dressing.  There  is  also  a 


*  "  A  friend  proposed  to  him  to  lay  aside  tl\at  sum  for  a  time  of  need  ;  but 
he  decisively  rejected  the  proposal  with  the  remark  :  *  Do  you  suppose  I  would 
soil  my  hands  by  making  money  out  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument.'  Had 
other  men,  with  much  larger  means,  possessed  the  same  spirit,  the  monument 
would  have  been  completed  at  a  much  earlier  period,  and  without  the  embar 
rassments  and  delays  which  caused  the  best  friends  of  the  project  so  much 
mortification  and  discomfort."  History  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  by 
Professor  Packard,  of  Bowdoin  College. 


134  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD 

quantity  of  stone  finely  dressed  for  quoins,  steps  and  hollow 
cone,  to  the  amount  of  6,000  feet,  and  every  preparation  has 
been  made  for  prosecuting  the  work  with  facility  and  economy. 

NAMES  SUBSCRIBED.  AMOUNTS. 

Solomon  Willard,  .             .             $1,000  00 

Ezra  Badger,  .             .             .             20  00 

.  Hazen  Abbott,      .  .             .                      5  00 

Theodore  Rogers,  .             .             .               5  00 

John  White,         .  .             .                     5  00 

Joseph  French,  .             .             .               5  00 

Daniel  Leonard,  .              .              .         5  00 

Jacob  B.  Collins,  .             .             .               5  00 

William  Frederic,  .             .                      5  00 

D.  M.  C.  Knox,  .             .             .               5  00 

Samuel  Ames,      .  .             .                      5  00 

Andrew  Bunten,  .             .             .               5  00 

John  Adams,        .  .              .                       5  00 

John  C.  Knox,  .              .             .                5  00 

John  Frederic,      .  .              .                       5  00 

George  Frederic,  jr.  .              .              .                5  00 

John  Robertson,   .  .              .                       5  00 

Samuel  Ela,    .  .              .              .               5  00 

Eli  Stebbins,         .  .             .                      5  00 

Eleazer  Frederic,  .             .             .               5  00 

Daniel  Ela,           .  .              .                       5  00 

Almoran  Holmes,  .              :             .              50  00 


Total,  .  .  .  $1,165 


The  receipt  of  the  above  amount  is  properly  acknowledged  by 
N.  P.  Russell,  Treasurer  of  the  Monument  Association,  under 
date  of  December  13th,  1827. 


*  A  copy  of  this  document  among  Mr.  Lawrence's  papers,  contains  several 
other  names,  as  follows  :  Luther  Marble,  John  Devanny,  and  Thomas  Pike,  jr. 
five  dollars  each,  and  James  S.  Savage,  fifty  dollars,  making  the  aggregate 
$1,230  ;  but  Mr.  Russell's  receipt  is  for  $1,165,  as  above. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON   WILLAED.  135 

I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


LEGISLATIVE    AID    TO    THE    MONUMENT. 


Two  years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  association,  in  Jan 
uary,  1825,  the  attention  of  the  legislature  was  called  to  the 
contemplated  monument,  by  Governor  Eustis.  in  his  annual 
message  of  that  year.  He  suggested  that  the  model  should  be 
submitted  for  approval  to  the  legislature  —  a  body  much  less 
competent  at  any  time  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  such  a  work 
than  the  then  Board  of  Directors  —  and  commended  the  under 
taking  in  the  following  language  :  - 

"  Should  the  funds  prove  insufficient  for  the  completion  of 
such  a  work  as  is  worthy  of  the  occasion  and  becoming  the 
character  of  the  State,  I  do  not  permit  myself  to  doubt,  that 
aid  will  be  afforded  by  an  enlightened  legislature. 

"  To  commemorate  one  of  the  principal  events  of  the  Revo 
lution,  to  consecrate  the  field  in  Massachusetts  on  which  in  the 
first  stages  of  the  war,  our  heroes  and  statesmen  sealed  with 
their  blood  the  principles  they  had  sworn  to  maintain,  when  a 
disciplined  enemy  received  from  untutored  yeomanry  a  lesson 
which  produced  the  most  beneficial  consequences  through  the 
whole  of  the  revolutionary  war,  is  worthy  of  the  care  of  the 
patriot  and  statesman.  The  splendid  column  on  Bunker  Hill 
will  unite  principle  with  history,  and  patriotism  with  glory.  It 
will  be  read  by  all  ;  its  moral  will  strike  deep  into  the  heart, 
and  leave  an  indelible  impression  on  the  mind." 


136  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

With  a  liberal  disposition  to  assist  in  the  erection  of  the  pro 
posed  monument,  the  legislature  passed  a  law,  which  was  ap 
proved  on  the  26th  of  February,  1825,  authorizing  the  associa 
tion  "  to  have  the  stone  of  which  their  intended  monument  may 
be  constructed,  hammered  and  prepared  to  be  used,  at  the  State 
Prison,  in  Charlestown,"  ..."  Provided,  that  the  ham 
mering  of  stone  under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  shall  never 
exceed  in  value  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars,"  and  also  that 
no  existing  contract  shall  be  interfered  with  or  retarded.  The 
same  act  authorized  the  association  to  receive  "  the  two  cannon 
called  the  Hancock  and  Adams,  to  adorn  the  intended  monument, 
and  to  be  preserved,  as  the  earliest  of  the  relics  of  the  revolu 
tionary  struggle,  and  also  for  the  same  purpose  two  other  can 
non,  used  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  now  belonging  to  the 
State,  as  to  the  Governor  and  Council  may  seem  proper.'''^ 

The  same  act  gave  to  the  Directors  authority  to  "  take  and 
appropriate  to  the  legal  uses  of  said  association  any  land  on 
Breed's  hill,  in  Charlestown,  which  said  Directors  may  find 
to  be  necessary  in  the  design  of  erecting  a  monument  and  laying 
out  the  surrounding  ground  in  the  appropriate  manner,  not 
exceeding  five  acres.1'  The  necessity  which  called  for  the 
grant  of  this  high  prerogative  of  government  —  the  right  of 
eminent  domain  — -  affords  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  conduct 
of  Mr.  Willard  and  an  instance  of  cupidity  and  avariciousness 
almost  too  gross  to  be  believed.  While  Mr.  Willard  declined  to 
accept  the  slightest  profit  or  commission  for  any  service  rendered 
to  the  association,  or  any  compensation  for  his  many  years  of 
labor,  from  high  patriotic  considerations,  there  wras  found  a  man 
willing  to  sacrifice  his  integrity,  degrade  his-  very  nature  and 


*  The  two  cannons  here  mentioned  as  the  "  Hancock"  and  "  Adams,"  are 
now  in  the  chamber  in  the  top  of  the  Monument.  The  inscriptions  upon  them 
say  they  originally  belonged  "  to  a  number  of  citizens  of  Boston,  and  were 
used  in  many  engagements  during  the  war*"  No  others  have  e\7er  been  re 
ceived  by  the  Association. 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  137 

soil  his  own  conscience,  to  gain  by  a  trick,*  an  advance  in  the 
price  of  his  land  beyond  that  at  which  he  had  agreed  to  dispose 
of  it  to  the  association.  Although  he  succeeded  in  this  instance, 
it  is  a  satisfaction  to  be  able  to  beKeve  that,  if  men  who  act 
from  as  high  motives  as  those  which  governed  Mr.  Willard,  are 
rare,  those  who  act  from  such  sordid  and  unmanly  impulses  are 
still  more  rare. 

There  had  always  been  some  doubt  as  to  the  availability  of 
this  grant  by  the  legislature  :  Mr.  Willard  certainly  never  had 
much  confidence  in  it :  and  in  1827,  the  Directors  petitioned  the 
legislature,  praying  that  uthe  ten  thousand  dollars  granted  by 
a  law  of  this  Commonwealth  to  said  association,  to  be  paid  in  the 
labor  of  hammering  stone  at  the  State  Prison,  may  be  paid  to 
said  association  in  money."  A  hearing  of  the  parties  was  had 
before  a  committee  of  the  legislature,  in  January,  when  it  was 
made  apparent  that  the  proposed  change  would  be  advantageous 
to  both  parties,  and  especially  to  the  Commonwealth. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  hearing  Mr.  Willard  estimated  the 
rough  blocks  to  weigh  twenty-five  per  cent,  more  than  when 
dressed  ;  the  delay  in  passing  the  draws  of  two  bridges  at  five 
per  cent. ;  allowed  considerable  expense  for  extra  apparatus  for 
handling  and  loading  the  large  blocks  at  the  prison,  and  con 
cluded  his  statement  with  the  following  "  Recapitulation"  :— 

"  The  first  and  second  items  make  the  extra  expense  of  trans 
portation  thirty  per  cent,  and  the  third,  fourth  and  fifth,  cannot 
amount  to  less  than  five,  making  the  aggregate  extra  expense  of 


*  The  proprietors  of  the  lands  on  Breed's  Hill  had  consented  to  have  their 
valuation  fixed  by  appraisers  and  entered  into  bonds  to  abide  by  their  decision. 
One  of  the  owners,  after  the  other  proprietors  had  conveyed  their  portions, 
"  deliberately  paid  over  the  forfeiture  agreed  upon,  five  hundred  dollars,  and 
demanded  five  thousand  dollars  for  his  land.  The  Committee  were  struck 
dumb,  ....  but,  reflecting  that  a  contention  at  that  time  might  delay 
the  whole  enterprise  for  an  indefinite  period,  they  reluctantly  paid  the  ungen 
erous  and  exorbitant  exaction."  Prof.  Packard. 

We  are  sorry  to  say  we  have  never  heard  this  story  contradicted. 

18 


138  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

transportation  at  least  thirty-five  per  cent. ;  besides  the  great 
delay  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  which  must  inevitably 
ensue  from  this  mode  of  carrying  it  on.  From  items  six  and 
seven  it  appears  that  the  difference  of  cost  in  hammering  the 
blocks  at  the  quarry  and  at  the  State  Prison,  taking  thirty 
cents  as  the  mean  price  per  square  foot  at  the  former,  is  as  30 
to  210.  or  as  1  to  7." 

The  results  of  Mr.  Willard's  experiments  and  his  calculation 
of  the  extra  cost  of  transportation,  were  so  clear  a  demonstration 
that  the  work  of  dressing  the  blocks  at  the  ledge  could  be  done 
much  more  economically  than  at  the  State  Prison  as  to  put 
at  rest  that  question  in  the  minds  of  the  directors.  But  the 
testimony  of  Mr.  Harris,  Warden  of  the  State  Prison,  was  much 
more  to  the  purpose,  so  far  as  the  Commonwealth  was  concern 
ed,  for  he  testified  that  the  work  could  not  be  done  at  the  State 
Prison,  irrespective  of  the  price,  without  great  pecuniary  disad 
vantages  to  the  institution  :  The  work  of  its  regular  customers 
would  be  delayed  and  finally  lost ;  the  convicts  "could  earn 
thirteen  thousand  dollars,  in  the  usual  mode  of  doing  business, 
with  less  inconvenience,  than  they  could  hammer  ten  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  stone  for  the  monument,"  and  in  addition  to 
these  conclusions,  the  Warden  testified  that  if  they  did  the  work 
they  would  have  to  draw  from  the  Treasury  ten  thousand 
dollars  extra  for  the  work  on  the  new  prison.  In  short,  Mr. 
Willard's  evidence  decided  the  question  of  economy  as  regarded 
the  association,  and  Mr.  Harris's  testimony  decided  the  question 
of  profit  as  regarded  the  Commonwealth. 

With  such  evidence  presented  to  them,  the  committee  could 
do  no  otherwise  than  report  a  resolve  according  to  the  wishes  of 
the  petitioners.  Good  policy,  prudence  and  economy,  on  the 
part  of  the  State,  demanded  the  measure,  and  good  taste  —  vio 
lated  in  the  original  act  —  approved  of  it.  It  was  shown  quite 
conclusively  that  a  loss  of  not  less  than  three  thousand  dollars, 
—  not  to  mention  the  cost  of  various  alterations  and  additions 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  139 

at  the  prison,  and  the  probable  injury  to  its  business  —  would 
accrue  to  the  Commonwealth,  in  the  effort  to  fulfil  the  contract 
with  the  association.  But  the  legislature  —  at  the  suggestion 
of  some  member  more  prudent  and  leSs  patriotic  than  the  rest  — 
did  not  think  ten  thousand  dollars^  worth  of  convict  labor  quite 
equal  to  that  sum  in  money,  notwithstanding  it  was  shown  that 
it  would  bring  thirteen  thousand  in  the  market.  Ready  to  make 
a  saving  for  the  Commonwealth,  in  what  no  doubt  was  supposed 
to  be  an  honorable  way,  the  legislature  readily  adopted  the 
suggestion  of  its  prudent  member  and  amended  the  resolution 
of  the  committee  by  reducing  the  sum  named  in  it  to  seven 
thousand  dollars,  as  the  equivalent  of  the  grant  of  their  predeces 
sors  —  thus  effecting  an  actual  saving  to  the  Commonwealth  of 
six  thousand  dollars  and  a  probable  saving  of  a  much  larger 
sum.  The  proceeding  was  no  doubt  regarded  at  the  time  as  ad 
vantageous  to  the  Commonwealth,  and  was  a  better  arrangement 
for  the  association  than  that  for  which  it  was  substituted  :  which 
would  have  proved  troublesome  and  unsatisfactory,  if  not  abso 
lutely  impracticable.  It  would  have  been  almost  impossible 
to  adjust  the  prices  to  be  charged  for  the  work  in  a  way 
which  would  have  been  satisfactory  to  both  parties,  as  Mr. 
Willard,  in  the  example  quoted  by  him,  made  the  charges  at 
the  prison  six  or  seven  times  greater  than  the  cost  of  similar 
work  at  the  quarry.  Besides  the  objection  to  having  the  work 
done  by  convicts,  in  which  Mr.  Willard  participated,  (for  he 
wished  all  his  workmen  to  be  members  of  the  association,)  the 
cost  would  have  been  greater  and  the  actual  result  less  advanta 
geous  than  the  reduced  grant  in  money. 

The  "Resolve,?:  as  finally  passed  by  the  legislature,  on  the 
second  of  March,  authorized  the  payment  of  seven  thousand 
dollars  in  money,  in  annual  payments  in  three  years.  This  was 
accepted  by  the  directors,  and  the  stone  used  in  the  construc 
tion  of  the  monument  was  hammered  at  the  ledge  in  Quincy.  - 
It  is  a  satisfaction  to  every  member  of  the  association  be  able  to 
say  that  none  of  it  was  done  at  the  State  Prison. 


140  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

This  seven  thousand  dollars  is  the  whole  amount  of  aid  ever 
received  from  the  public  authorities  towards  the  monument  —  a 
sum  probably  not  equal  to  the  interest-account  against  the 
association  —  and,  with  this  exception,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
entire  cost  of  the  monument,  the  land,  fences,  &c.  was  raised  by 
voluntary  contributions  and  efforts.  Subsequently,  in  1829,  a 
petition  was  prepared  for  presentation  to  the  legislature,  at  the 
instance  of  a  majority  of  the  directors,  praying  for  the  grant  of 
a  "Lottery"  to  raise  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  completion 
of  the  monument ;  but  it  was  ascertained  that  the  general  sen 
timent  of  the  members  was  opposed  to  such  a  grant  and  it  was 
abandoned  —  notwithstanding  only  four  years  before,  Lottery 
Tickets  were  allowed  to  be  sold  in  aid  of  the  monument.^  A 
later  application  for  State  aid  was  ineffectual. 


*  Some  amusement  was  indulged  in  among  the  dealers  in  Lottery  Tickets, 
in  Boston,  in  1825,  (when  the  subject  of  suppressing  their  sale  engaged 
the  public  attention,)  in  connection  with  the  proposed  monument.  Mr.  John 
Jay  Jerome  had  advertised  to  sell  lottery  tickets  for  the  benefit  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  Association,  whereupon  Messrs.  Gilbert  &  Sons  made  the  follow 
ing  announcement :  "  For  our  own  Benefit  !  Several  of  our  brother  venders 
have  set  apart  particular  days  to  sell  lottery  tickets  for  the  benefit  of  a  particu 
lar  institution,  &c.  such  as  'for  the  benefit  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  ;' 
'  in  aid  of  the  Greeks,'  &c.  &c.  Now  we  frankly  confess  that  we  cannot  afford 
to  sell  tickets  except  for  our  own  benefit,"  &c. 

To  this  gentle  innuendo  Mr.  Jerome  replied  :  "  My  neighbors  in  Exchange 
street  are  very  facetious  in  their  advertisement  of  yesterday  relative  to  the  Bun 
ker  Hill  Monument,  &c.  They  say  they  cannot  afford  to  sell  tickets  for  the  ben 
efit  of  the  Monument,  in  aid  of  the  Greeks,  &c.  Fie  on  such  patriotism  !  Gen 
tlemen  Sirs,  would  ye  not  afford  the  members  of  the  Legislature  another  oppor 
tunity  of  contributing  something  towards  so  praiseworthy  an  object  as  the  Bun 
ker  Hill  Monument  !  N.  B.  On  the  22d  inst.  [Washington's  Birth-day,]  the 
profits  on  the  sale  of  Lottery  Tickets  will  be  appropriated  towards  the  erection 
of  a  monument  on  Bunker  Hill. ' ' 

Messrs.  Dean  &  Hooper,  referring  to  these  cross-firings  of  their  neighbors, 
concluded  their  announcement  as  follows  :  "  Now  we  are  willing  to  sell  them 
for  the  benefit  of  the  purchaser  ;  and  those  who  wish  to  be  benefitted  are  re 
quested  to  call  at  the  Old  Stand  and  obtain  some  of  the  following  prizes." 

We  think  the  monument  was  not  benefitted  much  by  any  of  these  propositions. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  141 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CONTRACTS  AND  WORK  ON  THE  MONUMENT  —  1827  —  1828. 

THE  making  of  the  contracts  for  carrying  forward  the  work 
on  the  monument  was  a  part  of  the  duty  of  the  Superintendent ; 
but  these  were  not  necessary  until  the  actual  commencement 
of  the  construction  in  1827.  It  seems  but  justice  to  the 
contractors  that  their  connection  with  the  work  under  Mr.  Wil- 
lard  should  be  mentioned.  Besides  the  contract  with  the  Rail 
way  company  already  mentioned,  there  were  three  others,  made 
by  Mr.  Willard  in  the  name  of  the  chairman  :  1.  Contract  with 
James  Sullivan  Savage,  of  Boston,  in  which  he  agreed  to  take 
charge  of  the  Mason's  Department  and  "  perform  any  other  duty 
which  the  interest  of  the  association  may  require,  and  to  do  the 
same  as  if  it  were  his  individual  concern."  2.  Contract  with 
Almoran  Holmes,  of  Boston,  "  to  take  the  charge  and  duty  of 
hoisting  the  stone  to  build  the  said  monument,"  and  to  "  super 
intend  this  department  in  all  its  details  and  employ  competent 
and  faithful  men  to  perform  the  service,  without  profit  on  their 
work."  3.  Contract  with  Thomas  0.  Nichols  and  John  Peirce, 
of  Charlestown,  to  "  take  at  Devens's  wharf,  .  .  and  carry 
thence  to  the  site  of  the  intended  monument,  three  thousand 
tons  of  stone,  at  forty  three  cents  per  ton,"  &c. 

These  contracts  completed  Mr.  Willard' s  arrangements  for  the 
progress  of  the  work.  Jle  was  to  prepare  every  block  of  stone 
according  to  the  position  it  was  to  occupy,  ready  to  be  laid  when 


142  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

delivered  upon  the  hill.  The  machinery,  mechanical  and  human 
agencies,  were  arranged  and  only  required  to  be  put  in  operation 
and  kept  in  operation  by  the  oversight  of  one  master  mind,  for 
the  regular,  systematic  and  rapid  advancement  of  the  work.  — 
All  the  operations  were  designed  and  all  the  forces  directed  to 
this  end,  and  they  were  so  nicely  adjusted  as  to  constitute  a 
single  machine,  by  which  had  the  means  been  supplied,  the 
stone  would  have  been  quarried  and  the  monument  erected 
without  delay  or  impediment.  This  was  Mr.  Willard's  hope 
and  expectation,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  estimate  the  disappoint 
ment  and  chagrin  he  suffered  in  consequence  of  its  failure.  He 
knew  the  means  were  not  in  possession  of  the  association,  but  he 
believed  they  would  be  furnished.  The  failure  had  an  effect 
upon  his  whole  after  life,  affecting  his  spirits  and  ambition, 
changing  his  plans,  purposes  and  hopes. 

PROGRESS  ON  THE  MONUMENT  IN  1827. 

The  contracts  were  performed  in  a  satisfactory  and  exemplary 
manner  by  the  parties  named,  during  the  years  the  work  was 
in  progress,  though  before  the  monument  was  completed  an 
entire  change  in  the  methods  of  proceeding  took  place. 

When  they  were  made,  Mr.  Willard  expected  to  go  on  with  the 
work,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  in  a  spirited  and  masterly  manner." 
He  had  long  waited  for  the  opportunity  to  show  to  the  people, 
and  to  the  "combination"  which  hoped  to  see  his  plan  of 
construction  fail,  what  could  really  be  done  with  that  compara 
tively  new  building  material,  the  ' '  gray  Quincy  granite, ' '  in 
massive  structures.  In  February,  he  spoke  of  the  "  dif 
ficulties  which  had  so  long  hindered  the  work,"  as  likely  to 
be  soon  removed :  but  in  May,  he  complained  that  he  ' '  had 
been  in  readiness  to  commence  the  mason  work  for  a  month, 
waiting  for  stone  to  be  carried."  The  work,  however,  wras  be 
gan  at  this  time,  and  up  to  the  seventeenth  of  June,  twenty-four 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  dollars  had  been  expended 
by  the  association  —  only  fifteen  thousand  dollars  of  which  was 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  143 

considered  as  directly  for  the  monument.  The  committee  ap 
pointed  to  audit  the  accounts  of  the  Superintendent,  on  the 
eighteenth  of  July  reported  as  follows  :— 

"  The  work  is  now  in  a  favorable  c6urse  of  prosecution  :  the 
daily  expenses  at  the  quarry  are  for  twenty-seven  men,  $42  98  ; 
for  tools,  including  the  steel,  coal  and  time  of  the  blacksmith, 
$8  33  :  together  $51  31.  This  gang  of  men  will  get  out  one 
course  of  the  monument  in  twelve  days.  The  first  course  of 
stone  will  contain  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  tons  four  feet 
and  four  inches,  in  which  are  sixteen  hundred  and  nineteen  feet 
three  inches  of  hammering,  including  the  hollow  cone.  The 
average  contents  of  the  first  eight  courses  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons,  and  the  expense  of  a  course  may  be  calculated  thus  : 

Say  for  twelve  days'  work  at  the  quarry, 

at  $51  31,  per  day,  is     ...         $615  72 

Transportation  to  Devens's  wharf,  at  75  cts.       90  00 

Do.  from  wharf  to  the  hill,  at  48  cents,*       57  60 

Expense  of  laying  including  everything,  at 

66  and  2-3ds  cents  per  ton,          .         .         80  00 


$843  32 

u  But  we  suppose  it  may  amount  to  near  nine  hundred  dollars. 
.  .  .  .  Mr.  Willard,  our  disinterested  Superintendent,  has 
been  paid  his  expenses  from  the  ninth  of  November,  1825,  to 
the  seventeenth  of  June  last,  eight  hundred  and  two  dollars,  in 
full  satisfaction  of  his  services,  and  has  also  subscribed  to  the 
funds  of  the  association  one  thousand  dollars  in  addition  to  his 
time  thus  given."  Signed  by  H.  A.  S.  Dearborn  and  Amos 
Lawrence,  as  a  sub-committee,  July  18th,  1827. 

In  November,  1827,  at  the  close  of  the  work  for  that  year, 
*  The  contract  price  was  forty-three  cents  per  ton. 


144  MEMOIR    OF'  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

which  appears  not  to  have  equalled  the  desires  of  the  Directors, 
Mr.  Willard  made  a  report  to  the  committee  in  which  he  gives 
an  account  of  one  of  his  "experiments,"  from  which  we  extract 
the  following  paragraphs  : — 

"  It  may  be  seen  by  the  roll,  which  I  wish  the  committee  to 
examine,  that  the  number  of  working  days,  from  the  16th  of 
July  to  the  17th  of  November,  inclusive,  amounts  to  108.  The 
whole  number  of  days'  labor,  done  in  the  hammerers'  depart 
ment  at  the  ledge,  during  that  time,  is  2257  —  equal  to  20  and 
97-108  days'  work  each  day.  If  the  time  spent  in  fitting  the 
stone  on  Bunker  Hill,  viz.  181  days  be  taken  into  the  account, 
it  will  increase  the  average  per  day  to  22  and  62-108. 

"  By  the  roll  also  it  will  be  seen  that  the  average  labor  on 
the  ledge,  during  the  same  period  of  time  has  been  only  6  and 
38-108  days'  work,  having  been  performed  by  three  splitters 
and  three  capstan  men.  In  the  one  hundred  and  eight  days 
referred  to,  these  six  men  have  split  and  run  down  one  hundred 
and  eleven  blocks  of  stone,  which  will  average  over  six  tons  each 
after  being  dressed ;  and  they  have  also  split  and  run  down  one 
hundred  and  eighty  blocks  for  skirting  and  hollow  cone,  which 
will  average  two-thirds  of  a  ton  each,  besides  clearing  away  the 
cellar  and  wharf  stone,  which  though  valuable  to  those  who  come 
after,  is  waste  to  us.  In  the  description  of  work  which  has  been 
quarried  at  our  ledge,  there  is  much  greater  difference  in  the 
tonnage,  before  and  after  being  dressed,  than  usual :  I  should 
think  that  the  difference,  including  the  cellar  stone,  would 
amount  to  one-third  of  the  whole. 

"The  large  and  small  blocks  together  amount  to  seven  hun 
dred  and  eighty-seven  tons,  to  which  if  we  add  three  hundred 
and  ninety-three  for  loss  of  tonnage  in  dressing  and  for  cellar 
stone,  the  whole  number  of  tons  will  be  eleven  hundred  and 
ninety,  quarried  and  delivered  by  six  men  in  one  hundred  and 
eight  days  :  equal  to  eleven  tons  per  day  for  one  hundred  and 
eight  days  in  succession.  The  expenses  of  the  six  men  to  the 
association  were  $10  45  per  day,  which  sum  divided  by  eleven. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  145 

the  number  of  tons  got  out  daily,  gives  ninety-five  cents  per  ton. 
Then  the  cost  per  ton  divided  by  thirteen,  the  number  of  cubic 
feet  in  a  ton.  gives  seven  cents  and  three  mills  for  the  cost  per 
cubic  foot  for  the  rough  stone."  K  -- 

;'  Our  stock,  according  to  the  last  experiment,  costs  us  ten 
cents  per  cubic  foot,  measured  after  it  is  dressed.  Then,  if  we 
add  nine  and  a  half  cents  for  carrying,  it  will  amount  to  nineteen 
and  a  half  cents  per  cubic  foot  delivered  on  Bunker  Hill.  — 
I  do  not  believe  that  stock  as  good  could  now  be  obtained  at 
any  other  place,  within  twenty  miles  of  Boston,  for  four  times 
this  sum.  The  original  estimate  was  sixteen  and  a  quarter 
cents,  and  with  the  facilities  anticipated,  I  have  no  doubt  the 
actual  expense  would  have  corresponded  with  the  first  estimate." 

The  following  extracts  from  the  same  report  will  exhibit  in 
their  proper  light  the  high  spirit  and  patriotic  feeling  which 
influenced  Mr.  Willard  in  undertaking  and  conducting  this 
great  work  : — 

"  For  executing  the  work  I  have  thought  it  the  best  policy  to 
hire  good  men,  to  pay  them  fair  wages,  and  to  see  that  their 
labor  is  well  directed.  In  this  way  you  can  obtain  good  men 
and  keep  them,  and  by  using  the  proper  means  to  excite  emula 
tion,  they  will  not  only  be  faithful  but  the  work  will  go  on  with 
a  spirit  and  economy  which  cannot  be  attained  in  any  other 
way.  No  graduate  from  our  penitentiary  or  foreigner  has  been 
employed.  The  workmen  are  Americans  ;  natives  of  neighbor 
ing  States ;  some  are  relatives  of  those  who  fought  on  Bunker 
Hill  and  inherit  a  genuine  spirit  for  the  work.  Thus  far  there 
has  been  an  uncommon  degree  of  harmony  among  them.  In  a 
few  instances  I  have  discovered  a  disposition  in  some  to  tyrannize 
which  I  have  thought  proper  to  discountenance.  It  seems  to 
me  an  improper  place  to  act  the  Bashaw,  the  slave  or  the  syco 
phant.  The  work  which  we  are  engaged  in  is  a  work  of  patri 
otism,  where  all  should  be  on  equal  -terms. 
19 


146  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD 

"  In  the  prosecution  of  the  work  there  is  nothing  required, 
(as  I  conceive,)  but  to  follow  the  original  plan.  Provision 
should  be  made  immediately  for  the  carrying  of  the  stone.  This 
although  a  trifling  part  of  the  expense,  is  important,  as  a  failure 
subjects  us  to  hindrance  and  heavy  loss.  I  do  not  see  any 
propriety  in  having  it  in  the  power  of  any  evil  disposed  person 
to  stop  our  work  at  his  pleasure.  If  my  written  instructions 
from  the  Building  Committee,  given  a  year  ago,  do  not  authorize 
me  to  provide  for  the  carrying  of  the  stone.  I  wish  them  to 
make  such  amendments  as  to  make  that  a  part  of  my  duty. 

"It  is  now  two  years  since  we  commenced  quarrying  at  our 
ledge.  Time  has  already  elapsed  sufficient  to  have  built  two 
such  monuments,  if  the  work  had  been  prosecuted  with  a  spirit 
worthy  the  occasion.  What  has  been  done  thus  far,  has  been 
done  with  our  hands  tied,  and  the  way  we  are  going  on  it  will 
require  another  year  to  finish  the  work.  To  me  the  sacrifice 
of  three  years  of  my  life,  together  with  the  labor  and  vexation 
which  has  attended  every  movement  since  the  commencement  of 
the  work,  is  trifling  compared  with  the  mortification  occasioned 
by  its  tardy  progress." 

This  was  Mr.  Willard's  feeling  at  the  end  o£  two  year's 
labor,  "under  difficulties,"  if  not  with  his  "hands  tied."  He 
little  dreamed  that  fifteen  years  more  would  elapse  before  he 
should  see  the  work  fully  completed. 

PROGRESS  ON  THE  MONUMENT  IN  1828. 

The  work  for  the  season  of  1827,  having  closed,  the  com 
mittee  to  audit  Mr.  Willard's  accounts  reported  the  amount  of 
expenditures  through  him.  from  June  17th  to  December  17th,  at 
thirteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-two  dollars.  Now 
that  the  monument  was  rising  above  the  surface,  the  committee 
looked  forward  to  a  more  rapid  progress  in  the  coming  season. 
At  a  meeting  on  the  10th  of  December,  it  was  "  Voted,  that 
the  committee  entertain  and  think  it  due  to  Mr.  Solomon  Wil- 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  147 

lard,  to  express  to  him  their  very  high  sense  and  respect  for  his 
able  and  faithful  services  and  unwearied  assiduity  in  accomplish 
ing  the  patriotic  object  of  the  association,  and  that  a  copy  of  this 
vote  be  presented  to  him.'1  Anotheivvote  was  passed  authoriz 
ing  him  '''  to  employ  a  suitable  number  of  hands,  at  such  times 
as  he  thinks  best,  to  complete  twenty  courses  of  the  monument." 
In  communicating  the  above  vote,  Mr.  Lawrence,  Secretary 
of  the  committee,  wrote  to  Mr.  Willard  as  follows  :— 

"January  9th,  1828. 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  Permit  me  to  hand  you  a  vote  of  the  Building 
Committee  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  passed  at  their  last 
meeting,  (which  gives  me  the  more  pleasure  in  communicating, 
as  the  expression  of  every  individual  of  the  committee,)  with  the 
assurance  of  the  ardent  wish  I  feel  that  the  great  work  you 
have  so  long  been  so  faithfully  and  earnestly  engaged  in  accom 
plishing,  may  be  completed  in  a  style  worthy  the  conception  of 
its  author,  and  that  your  name  and  fame  may  go  down  with  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  to  the  latest  posterity,  which  I  deem 
next  in  honor  to  sharing  the  glory  of  the  event  this  monument 
is  intended  to  commemorate. 

"  With  great  sincerity,  yours,  &c. 

AMOS  LAWRENCE.'' 

The  committee  were  very  anxious  to  complete  twenty  courses 
of  the  monument,  as  expressed  in  their  vote,  the  present  season  : 
and  the  chairman,  General  Dearborn,  addressed  a  letter  with 
interrogatories  to  Mr.  Willard  directly  upon  this  point :  In  reply 
to  the  fifth  question,  —  "  What  will  be  the  expense  of  complet 
ing  twenty  courses,  and  what  will  be  the  daily  expenses?" 
Mr.  Willard  stated  the  cost  at  about  one  hundred  dollars  per 
day,  or  ten  thousand  dollars  to  accomplish  the  work  by  the  4th 
of  July,  in  one  hundred  days ;  but,  taught  by  the  experience 
of  the  past,  he  added  in  a  note,  "  No  allowance  is  made  in  the 
above  estimate  for  unnecessary  hindrance  which  may  be  occa- 


148  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLAHD. 

sioned  by  the  stone  remaining  in  our  way  after  they  are  dressed/' 
—The  work  was  commenced  at  Charlestown,  about  the  middle 
of  April.  Mr.  Lawrence  previously  wrote  to  Mr.  Willard, 
"  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  you  had  better  have  enough 
stone  on  the  ground  for  five  or  six  courses  before  beginning,  as 
the  stone  can  be  laid  up  faster  than  they  can  be  got  out  with 
our  fifty  men ;  and  we  have  the  advantage  of  making  an  im 
pression  at  once  upon  the  public  mind,  which  last  thing  is 
essential  to  our  obtaining  the  needful  for  carrying  it  on." 

The  directors  and  architect  were  zealous  and  active  —  the 
former  giving  the  work  much  of  their  attention  and  encouraging 
by  their  frequent  visits  the  labors  of  the  latter.  During  the 
two  years,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  almost  a  daily  visiter  to  the 
hill,  and  has  left  the  remark  that  however  early  in  the  morning 
he  arrived  there,  he  was  sure  to  find  Mr.  Willard  on  the  ground. 
He  was  devoted  to  the  work,  and  the  success  of  his  plan  for 
carrying  it  on  seems  to  have  been  complete  and  satisfactory.  — 
It  could  not  have  been  otherwise  with  the  system  which  he  had 
inaugurated.  Superior  workmanship  was  obtained  at  the  cost 
of  half  the  price  of  ordinary  material  and  work,  and  had  the 
means  not  failed,  the  whole  would  have  been  accomplished 
on  the  same  terms. 

With  respect  to  the  work  done  up  to  this  time,  the  amount  of 
stone  quarried  and  required,  together  with  the  cost  of  the  same 
per  foot,  the  committee  placed  on  record  the  following  > — 

"  By  a  statement  furnished  by  the  architect,  it  appears  that 
the  quantity  of  stone  actually  laid,  is,  in  the  foundation  eleven 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  tons  ;  in  the  fourteen  courses  complet 
ed,  fifteen  hundred  and  eighty-two  tons  ;  and  that  there  is  now 
lying  on  Bunker  Hill,  hammered,  four  hundred  and  ninety-four 
tons,  (and  one  hundred  tons  of  flag-stone  not  wanted  for  the 
monument,)  together  for  the  monument,  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  forty-three  tons.  The  whole  quantity  required 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  149 

[dressed]  is  six  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-six  tons : — 
There  is  quarried  at  Quincy.  twelve  hundred  and  thirty-two 
tons  ;  a  very  small  part  of  this  is  also  hammered  ;  and  to  com 
plete  the  monument,  twenty-two  hundred  and  ten  tons  more  are 
required  to  be  quarried.  The  south-eastern  section  of  the  ledge 
is  now  prepared  and  in  the  best  possible  order  to  take  out  this 
whole  quantity,  the  expense  of  which,  at  the  rate  we  have  paid, 
will  fall  a  little  short  of  three  thousand  dollars.  The  price  paid 
for  quarrying  is  seven  and  a  half  cents  per  cubic  foot,  in  the 
rough  state,  which  is  equal  to  ten  cents  in  a  finished  state,  or 
one  dollar  and  thirty  cents  per  ton  finished." 


The  following  ' i  account  of  the  original  plan  of  carrying  on 
the  work,  with  the  success  which  has  attended  it,"  was  prepared 
by  Mr.  Willard,  for  the  Committee  in  1828,  and  is  a  history  of 
the  commencement  and  progress  of  the  work  almost  wholly 
unknown  to  the  public  :— • 

' '  Gentlemen  —  In  consequence  of  the  state  of  the  finances 
of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association,  being  such  as  to 
require  the  best  possible  management  in  the  future  prosecution 
of  the  work,  Mr.  Lawrence  has  been  induced  to  suggest  some 
improvements  in  the  mode  of  conducting  it,  which  may  be  wor 
thy  of  consideration  by  the  committee  ;  but  previously  to  acting 
on  them,  it  might  be  well  for  the  committee  to  take  a  brief 
review  of  the  original  plan  which  occurred  to  me  more  than 
three  years  ago,  on  my  first  discovery  of  the  quarry,  and  which 
plan  has  been  followed,  so  far  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

"  The  outline  of  the  plan  may  be  seen  in  a  correspondence  with 
a  member  of  the  Committee  on  the  Design,  before  the  Building 
Committee  were  chosen.  It  was  there  recommended  to  choose  a 
Building  Committee  of  members  who  were  friendly  to  the  design 
adopted ;  to  employ  agents  to  conduct  the  work,  who  would 
manage  it  with  the  economy  of  an  individual  concern,  and  the 


150  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

services  of  the  committee  and  agents  to  be  gratuitous.  It  was 
also  recommended  that  the  design  should  be  matured,  the  form 
and  construction  determined,  and  after  the  dimensions,  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  stock  required  were  settled,  to  advertise  for 
proposals  for  furnishing  it.  In  case  of  the  proposals  coming  too 
high,  it  was  recommended  to  the  association  to  purchase  a  quarry 
and  to  employ  men  by  the  day  to  get  out  the  stock,  and  also  to 
make  experiments  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  dressing  it. 

"  A  quarry  had  been  purchased  and  kept  in  reserve  expressly 
for  the  work,  for  a  year  previous  to  this  time,  and  all  the 
estimates  for  the  different  designs  were  based  on  the  supposition 
that  the  stock  might  be  obtained  there  with  great  facility  and 
economy.  This  may  be  seen  by  the  following  estimate  made  at 
the  time  :<  the  whole  quantity  required  was  estimated  at  about 
nine  thousand  tons,  equal  to  117,000  cubic  feet.  The  right  to 
quarry  the  stock  required  for  the  monument  cost  $325,  equal 
to  one-quarter  of  a  cent  per  foot,  £ 

Cost  of  quarrying,       -  6 

Qost  of  transportation  to  the  hill,  10 


Total  cost  per  foot,  16J  cents. 

"  The  Building  Committee  were  chosen  —  the  agent  appoint 
ed  —  the  Plan  matured,  and  the  following  advertisement  was 
inserted  in  the  Columbian  Centinel,  of  November  16,  1825,  by 
the  Chairman  :  - 

' '  '  Proposals  will  be  received  for  furnishing  the  granite  for  an 
obelisk  to  be  erected  on  Bunker  Hill.  The  quantity  required 
will  be  about  9000  tons,  and  must  be  delivered  at  the  prison  in 
Charlestown,  or  at  a  wharf  near  the  navy  yard,  as  may  be  re 
quired.  The  dimensions  of  the  blocks  to  be  about  two  feet  six 
inches  wide  and  twelve  feet  long.  The  granite  for  the  founda 
tion  may  be  of  a  coarse  kind,  and  it  will  require  about  1400 
tons.  The  outside  courses  of  the  obelisk  must  be  of  the  best 
Quincy  granite,  of  uniform  color,  of  which  about  2600  tons 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  151 

will  be  required.  Proposals  will  be  received  for  Chelmsford 
granite  for  the  outer  courses.  Those  who  estimate  may  furnish 
any  quantity  to  suit  their  convenience. 

"  '  Proposals  are  to  be  handed  to  S.  ^Willard,  Architect  and 
Superintendent  of  the  Monument,  next  to  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Boston.  Mr.  Willard  will  furnish  all  necessary  information  on 
the  subject.  As  the  work  will  begin  immediately,  it  is  desirable 
that  the  proposals  should  be  sent  in  as  soon  as  possible.' 

"  Most  of  the  persons  who  furnish  stone  in  this  vicinty  exam 
ined  the  designs  accordingly,  but  offered  no  proposals.  All 
wished  to  have  the  construction  so  altered  as  to  use  small  stones. 
One  offered  verbally  to  furnish  a  part  at  sixty -two  cents  per 
cubic  foot.  The  majority,  however,  entered  into  a  combination 
to  compel  the  association  to  change  the  construction,  and  to  come 
to  their  terms,  as  respects  the  price,  (as  I  was  informed  at  the 
time,  by  one  who  had  been  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
combination.) 

"  The  object  of  advertising  was  to  give  every  one  an  oppor 
tunity  to  furnish  the  stock,  and  had  their  proposals  been  lower 
than  the  estimates  according  to  our  original  plan,  the  association 
would  have  accepted  their  terms,  and  abandoned  the  project  of 
quarrying  their  own  stock.  [There  was  no  possibility  of  this,  for 
as  we  have  already  seen,  Mr.  Willard  found  his  own  estimate 
less  than  the  actual  cost.] 

k'  We  commenced  opening  the  quarry  on  the  16th  November. 
1825.  A  wharf  was  hired  in  Quincy,  and  it  was  intended  that 
a  part  of  the  foundation  should  have  been  transported  on  sleds 
during  the  winter.  Severe  weather,  however,  put  a  stop  to  our 
quarrying  in  a  few  weeks,  and  the  remainder  of  the  winter  was 
spent  in  clearing  the  earth  and  rubbish  from  the  ledge,  and 
digging  out  the  foundation  on  Bunker  Hill. 

[During  the  winter,  Mr.  Willard  states,  the  Railway  company 
was  projected,  but  it  "  was  of  no  service  to  us  until  the  last  of 
September.  1826."] 


152  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

"  According  to  the  general  plan  referred  to.  the  work  was 
divided  into  five  departments,  viz :  the  Quarrying,  Hammering, 
Carrying,  Hoisting  and  Masons'  Departments.  The  number 
and  cost  of  the  men,  who  filled  the  various  departments,  were  as 
follows  :— 

l'  Quarrymeri's  Department.  1  master  at  $2  ;  5  common 
hands  at  -  :  3  capstan  men  at  -  :  1  blacksmith  at  1.67. 

"  Hammerer's  Department.  30  hammerers  at  $1.73  :  2 
blacksmiths  at  1.67  :  1  pattern  maker  at  1.19. 

"  Holster's  Department.  1  rigger  -:  1  master  at  $2  :  1 
foreman  at  1.67  :  3  common  hands,  4.50. 

'"Mason's  Department.  1  master  mason  at  $2.50  :  3  jour 
neymen  at  1.67:  1  apprentice  1.00  :  1  blacksmith  :  1  tender. 

"  The  whole  was  intended  to  move  writh  the  regularity  of  a 
time-piece.  A  due  proportion  of  strength  was  assigned  to  each 
department  and  provision  made  by  a  reserve  in  case  of  a  defi 
ciency  in  any  particular  part.  The  number  of  men  to  be  em 
ployed  to  vary  as  circumstances  might  require.  The  agent  of 
the  association  was  to  be  authorized  to  make  all  the  contracts, 
to  keep  the  roll,  and  to  receive  and  pay  out  the  money.  It  was 
to  be  his  duty  to  employ  the  masters  in  the  quarrying,  hoisting 
and  mason's  departments,  who  were  to  have  the  liberty  to  choose 
their  own  assistants,  in  order  to  insure  unity  of  effort.  The 
variety  of  form  required  for  the  stone,  and  number  of  men  em 
ployed  in  the  hammerer's  department,  rendered  it  necessary  that 
it  should  be  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  agent,  and 
means  were  proposed  to  excite  a  proper  emulation  among  those 
employed,  and  also  to  insure  a  faithful  performance  of  duty. 

•'  The  value  of  the  quarry  has  exceeded  our  highest  expecta 
tions,  and  although  the  stone  delivered  in  the  hammerer's  shed 
costs  us  more  than  was  first  estimated,  viz.  7J  cents  per  foot, 
[instead  of  6J,]  it  must  be  recollected  that  in  the  experiments 
made  in  order  to  ascertain  the  cost,  the  quarrymen  labored  un 
der  disadvantages,  which  are  not  likely  to  occur  again.  In  the 
course  of  the  108-days  experiment,  the  timber  run  gave  way. 


%      MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLA11D.  158 

and  it  became  necessary  to  rebuild  it.  The  run  was  first  con 
structed  to  carry  from  five  to  six  tons  weight  —  this  being  the 
heaviest  required  for  the  foundation,  or  for  the  obelisk  on  the 
original  construction  ;  but  the  blocks  >be1hg  doubled  in  size,  the 
run  was  found  to  be  insufficient  to  carry  them,  although  it  had 
answered  its  first  intention  for  more  than  a  year.  There  was 
also  an  unusual  share  of  rainy  weather  during  the  experiment 
when  nothing  could  be  done  on  the  ledge.  The  quarrymen 
suffered  also  in  common  with  the  rest,  for  want  of  room,  in 
consequence  of  the  delinquency  of  the  railway  company. 

"  The  dressing  of  the  stock  in  the  hammerer's  department, 
has  been  executed  in  a  superior  style  of  workmanship  to  what 
was  first  intended,  and  has  consequently  cost  more  per  foot.  — 
The  rough  dressing  of  the  beds  of  the  foundation,  about  twenty 
thousand  feet,  was  contracted  for  at  ten  cents  per  foot,  and 
would  have  been  profitable  to  the  undertakers,  if  there  had  been 
sufficient  room,  or  had  the  railway  company  fulfilled  their 
agreement.  By  four  experiments  of  some  hundred  days,  on 
blocks  of  stone  of  every  form  required,  the  cost  of  fine  dressing 
has  been  ascertained  to  be  about  forty-three  cents  per  foot 
superficial,  net  measure.  A  considerable  proportion  of  our 
work,  however,  is  circular  which  has  commonly  been  measured 
double  :  this  mode  of  measuring  would  reduce  the  price  per  foot 
about  one-third,  or  say  to  thirty  cents." 

"  The  economy  with  which  our  stock  has  been  dressed,  I 
think,  must  give  satisfaction.  Notwithstanding  the  superiority 
of  the  workmanship,  and  disadvantages  under  which  we  have 
labored,  it  costs  but  about  half  what  has  been  given  by  others 
for  inferior  work  the  season  past. 

'•The  first  course  of  the  Tremont  Theatre  cost,  as  I  have 
been  informed  by  the  architect,  $1  25  per  foot.  If  we  deduct 
twenty  cents  per  foot  for  the  stock,  it  will  leave  $1  05  for  the 
dressing.  Mr.  Webster's  underpinning  cost  one  dollar  per  foot, 
deducting  twenty  cents  leaves  eighty  cents  for  the  dressing.  — 
20 


154  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

This  is  gratifying  to  me,  as  some  of  our  particular  friends  have 
been  very  industrious  in  attempting  to  impress  on  the  public 
mind,  (and  I  think  probably  on  the  minds  of  the  committee,) 
that  work  so  well  done,  and  done  by  the  day,  (an  expensive 
mode,)  by  high-priced  hands,  must  necessarily  be  very  expen 
sive.  Further  on  many  circumstances  will  unite  to  make  it 
come  lower.  The  workmen  will  become  more  experienced  and 
the  fineness  of  the  execution  may  graduate  as  the  monument 
rises.  And  if  the  proper  room  is  given  to  the  workmen  by 
removing  the  stone  when  finished,  I  think  it  will  make  a  dif 
ference  of  half  in  the  expense  of  dressing." 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  155 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SUSPENSION    OF    THE   WORK DISCHARGE    OF   MR.    WILLARD 

PROPOSED  SALE  OF  THE  LAND  —  1829. 


FOURTEEN  courses  of  the  monument  above  the  foundation,  — 
or  about  forty  feet  in  height,  —  were  completed  with  the  close 
of  the  season  of  1828  ;  and  the  result  clearly  demonstrated 
the  fact  that  a  work  of  this  magnitude  and  character  could 
not  be  put  forward  as  rapidly  as  the  committee  and  the  architect 
desired,  nor  yet  as  cheaply  as  they  had  calculated,  the  quality 
of  the  work  considered.  No  dissatisfaction  is  anywhere  ex 
pressed  at  the  result,  nor  is  any  explanation  of  it  recorded  ;  but 
it  seems  certain  that  the  expenditure  was  larger  and  the  pro 
gress  of  the  work  less  than  the  committee  expected  at  the  end 
of  the  season.  Yet  there  was  no  ground  of  complaint :  Colonel 
Perkins  had  frequently  visited  the  quarry,  and  Mr.  Lawrence, 
as  we  have  said,  was  a  daily  visiter  at  Bunker  Hill.  Of  Mr. 
Willard  and  his  workmen,  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote  :  "Mr.  Willard 
is  engaged  in  the  work  with  all  his  soul,  .  .  .  and  the 
quarrymen  have  as  much  zeal  in  performing  their  duty  as  their 
fathers  had  in  seventy-five."  In  such  hands  as  these  the  work 
had  gone  steadily  on ;  but  the  committee  had  worked  under 
the  disadvantage  of  inadequate  means,  and  were  very  early 
compelled  to  borrow  money  to  continue  their  labors.  Mr. 
Willard  had  exerted  himself  to  meet  the  expressed  wishes 
of  the  directors  and  so  far  succeeded  as  to  have  the  stone  for 


156  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

twenty  courses  nearly  completed  and  on  the  ground  before  the 
close  of  the  season,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  statement : 
The  fourteen  courses  laid  required  4582  tons ;  the  six  next 
courses  required  580  tons  ;  there  were  upon  the  hill  ready  for 
use  494  tons  and  more  at  the  quarry. 

As  early  as  the  16th  of  June,  1828,  the  Building  Committee 
appear  to  have  become  disheartened  and  passed  an  order  ' '  that 
as  the  means  of  the  corporation  are  so  nearly  exhausted,  no 
further  expense  be  incurred  beyond  present  engagements  ;"  and 
on  the  next  day  another  order  ' '  that  the  work  going  on  at  the 
Bunker  Hill  quarry  be  forthwith  suspended."  The  Secretary, 
Mr.  Lawrence,  appends  a  note  to  this  last  order  :  "It  is  expect 
ed  that  all  the  stone  to  complete  sixteen  courses  of  the  monu 
ment  will  be  made  ready  first."  It  was  stated  at  a  meeting  of 
the  committee,  on  the  sixteenth  of  September,  "  that  the  monu 
ment  had  now  attained  a  height  of  about  forty  feet ;  that  the 
quantity  of  stone  prepared  and  on  Bunker  Hill  is  equal  to  car 
rying  the  monument  about  fifty-eight  feet,  and  that  the  quar 
rying  is  still  continued  at  Quincy,  the  committee  feeling  un 
willing  to  relinquish  that  part  of  the  wTork  so  long  as  there 
appears  strong  expectations  of  raising  more  funds." 

In  partial  explanation  of  the  above  result,  Mr.  Lawrence,  in 
an  incidental  letter  to  Dr.  Warren,  made  the  following  state 
ments  :  "  The  committtee  caused  the  stone  for  forty  feet  of  the 
monument  to  be  completed  ;  in  getting  which,  owing  to  former 
arrangements  at  the  quarry,  there  has  been  a  quantity  equal  to 
fifty- eight  feet  prepared,  although  not  in  the  regular  order  in 
which  it  will  be  laid.  .  .  .  The  outlay  of  money  has  been 
greater  than  was  contemplated,  owing  to  the  increased  quantity 
of  stone  which  it  was  necessary  to  prepare  to  complete  the  forty 
feet.  The  only  loss  to  the  association  is  the  advance  of  the 
money  for  work  that  cannot  be  immediately  completed." 

But  the  inevitable  moment  had  come  and  could  no  longer  be 
postponed.  The  funds  of  the  association  were  exhausted  and 
its  landed  property,  as  well  as  the  balance  of  the  seven  thousand 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARP.  157 

dollars  due  from  the  Commonwealth,  had  been  hypothecated,  — 
there  was  no  possibility,  therefore,  of  being  able  to  continue  the 
work.  The  directors  thought  they  had  done  all  that  the  public 
could  require  of  them.  The  mortgaging  of  the  land  they  had 
most  unwillingly  consented  to,  undef*  the  belief  that  it  would 
soon  be  redeemed.  The  feeling  of  the  committee  on  this  subject 
is  very  well  shown  in  a  note  appended  to  the  record  of  the 
meeting,  (July  the  10th,  1828,)  at  which  the  loan  of  sixteen 
thousand  dollars  was  authorized:  "Mem:  It  is  contemplated 
making  an  appeal  to  the  public  after  the  monument  shall  have 
been  raised  forty  three  feet,  for  the  means  to  pay  off  this  loan, 
and  to  preserve  the  land,  (to  be  conveyed  as  security  for  the 
above  loan,)  forever  from  occupation  for  buildings ;  that  the 
Battle-field  of  Bunker  Hill  may  remain  to  posterity  a  stimulant 
to  patriotism,  a  corrective  to  anarchy."  With  this  loan  the 
sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  previously  borrowed,  was  paid  off, 
and  there  "now  was  no  lien  upon  the  land  excepting  this  one 
of  sixteen  thousand  dollars."  Subsequently,  however,  October 
third,  a  further  loan  of  five  thousand  dollars  was  made ;  and 
again  on  the  twenty-third  of  January,  1829,  another  loan  of 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  was  required,  making  altogether  a  lien 
of  twenty-two  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  upon  the  land.  - 
This  amount  was  further  increased  by  the  accruing  interest. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Building  Committee,  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  January,  1829,  "after  considerable  conversation  was 
had  upon  the  present  condition  and  prospects  of  the  association," 
the  following  vote  wras  passed  : — 

"Voted,  That  all  the  work  at  Quincy,  or  elsewhere,  attended 
with  any  expense  to  the  association,  be  wholly  suspended,  the 
committee  having  in  their  opinion  gone  to  the  full  extent  of  the 
value  of  all  the  disposable  property  of  the  association,  and  as 
far  as  public  opinion  would  require  of  them,  until  further  means 
are  provided  for  carrying  on  the  work  ;  and  this  committee  give 
it  as  their  unanimous  opinion,  that  a  subscription  in  some  form, 


158  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

should  be  immediately  circulated  for  obtaining  the  requisite 
funds  for  carrying  forward  the  work." 

The  work  had  all  been  suspended  previously  to  this  vote  :  at 
the  hill  on  the  first  of  September,  and  at  the  quarry  on  the 
seventeenth  of  January  following, — as  stated  in  an  "address" 
prepared  by  a  committee  appointed  in  September  and  printed 
in  February.  This  address  was  "  never  circulated  on  account 
of  the  depression  of  the  times." 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  association,  June  17th,  1829, 
an  almost  entirely  new  government  was  chosen,  with  ex-Gover 
nor  Levi  Lincoln  as  President.  At  this  meeting,  after  consid 
ering  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  association  and  referring 
to  what  had  been  done,  it  was  formally  declared  that  a  sale  of 
the  land  had  become  necessary,  and  a  resolution  was  passed, 
authorizing  the  President,  with  the  consent  and  approbation  of 
the  Directors,  "  to  make  and  sign  any  deed  or  deeds  to  convey 
all  or  any  part  of  the  land,  except  an  area  of  six  hundred  feet 
by  four  hundred  feet  around  the  monument,  now  owned  by  this 
association,  and  situate  in  Charlestown,  in  fee  simple,  and  to 
acknowledge  any  deed  or  deeds  by  him  executed,  and  to  cause 
the  seal  of  this  corporation  to  be  thereunto  affixed  —  whenever 
and  so  soon  as  it  shall  be  deemed  expedient  and  proper  by  him, 
with  consent  and  approbation  aforesaid,  so  to  do." 

At  the  next  director's  meeting,  a  new  Building  Committee  was 
chosen,  General  Dearborn  chairman,  and  at  their  first  meeting, 
August  8th,  1829,  the  subject  of  laying  off  the  land  of  the 
association  into  lots,  was  considered,  and  the  record  proceeds  — 
"  The  prospect  of  Mr.  Willard's  services  being  further  required, 
(in  the  present  state  of  the  affairs,)  being  so  distant,  it  was 
voted,  that  the  chairman  give  Mr.  Willard  his  discharge  from 
the  service  of  the  association,  with  such  expressions  of  respect 
for  his  services  as  their  nature  and  character  require :  the 
committee  only  regret  that  they  have  not  the  control  of  means 
sufficient  to  authorize  him  to  go  on  and  finish  the  great  work 
for  which  he  has  sacrificed  so  much." 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  159 

The  following  is  the  note  sent  to  Mr.  Willard  in  accordance 
with  the  above  proceedings  :— 

"  Brinley  Place,  August  18,  1829. 

' '  My  Dear  Sir,  —  It  having  been  found  necessary  to  suspend 
our  labors  on  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  until  the  funds  have 
been  augmented,  your  valuable  services  in  the  meantime  will  not 
be  required ;  but  we  shall  rely  upon  them  the  moment  it  may 
be  in  our  power  to  prosecute  that  glorious  work. 

"  It  affords  me  sincere  pleasure  to  assure  you,  that  the  ardu 
ous  and  very  responsible  duties  which  devolved  upon  you  as 
Superintendent  and  Architect,  have  been  discharged  in  the  most 
faithful  and  efficient  manner,  giving  unqualified  satisfaction  to 
the  Building  Committee,  and  entitling  you  to  the  gratitude  of 
the  Association.  Science,  genius  and  taste  have  been  so  con 
spicuously  evinced  in  the  plan  and  execution  of  the  whole  work, 
as  cannot  fail  to  exalt  your  reputation  as  an  artist,  and  secure 
for  you  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  your  fellow-citizens. 

"  With  the  best  wishes  for  your  prosperity  and  happiness  and 
assurances  of  my  great  respect  and  esteem,  I  am,  dear  sir,  your 
most  obedient  servant, 

H.  A.  S.  DEARBORN,  Chairman,  &c. 

"  S.  Willard,  Esquire,  Architect." 

Notwithstanding  these  proceedings,  Mr.  Willard  was  immedi 
ately  employed  in  accordance  with  the  vote  of  the  association  in 
relation  to  a  sale  of  the  land,  in  laying  it  out  into  streets  and 
lots,  with  the  reserved  square  around  the  monument ;  and  on 
the  28th  of  November,  the  whole  committee  being  present,  it 
was  determined  to  recommend  to  the  directors  the  adoption  of 
the  following  vote  :  "That  the  plan  herewith  submitted,  drawn 
by  Solomon  Willard,  the  architect,  for  laying  off  the  land,  be 
adopted,  and  secondly,  that  it  is  inexpedient  to  sell  any  part  of 
the  land  owned  by  the  association  at  present."  These  votes 
were  reported  to  and  adopted  by  the  directors,  and  together 


160  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

with  another  relative  to  a  lottery,  concluded  the  proceedings  of 
the  directors  for  the  year  1829. 

There  was  great  reluctance  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  direc 
tors  to  disposing  of  any  portion  of  the  land,  and  they  were  very 
unwilling  to  do  anything  with  that  end  in  view.  They  were 
encouraged  at  this  time  by  the  lottery  scheme,  and  subsequently 
by  the  hope  of  gaining  the  aid  of  the  Commonwealth.  Mr. 
Willard  was  probably  willing  to  dispose  of  the  land  with  a  view 
to  the  completion  of  the  monument,  but  Mr.  Lawrence  was 
earnestly  opposed  to  the  lottery  and  as  earnestly  desirous  of 
preserving  the  battle-field  intact.  The  following  views  on  this 
subject  are  from  his  pen*  : — 

"  It  is  probable,  that  Boston  and  the  country  around,  taking 
in  a  distance  of  three  miles  from  the  State  House,  will  contain 
a  population  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  within  thirty 
years,  which  will  of  course  fill  up  the  most  eligible  building 
lots  within  that  distance ;  among  the  best  is  the  land  on  and 
•about  Bunker  Hill ;  all  that  part  of  Charlestown  within  the 
neck  will  either  be  joined  to  Boston,  or  will  be  so  intimately 
connected  with  it  as  to  be  practically  nearly  the  same  thing  to 
the  city.  When  our  present  worthy  Mayorf .  built  his  house  on 
Beacon  street,  he  was  as  much  out  of  town  as  he  would  be  now 
on  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  land  on  and  around  Beacon  Hill  to 
Charles  street,  was  of  little  more  value  then,  than  the  land  on 
and  around  Bunker  Hill  is  now.  Fifty  years  ago  [i.  c.  eighty 
years  ago,]  Boston  Common  could  not  have  been  sold  for  a 
thousand  dollars  an  acre  ;  at  this  time  it  is  above  price  :  and 
had  our  fathers  allowed  it  to  be  sold  for  what  seemed  then  a 
great  sum,  we  should  now  say  they  were  not  so  provident  for 


*"  March,  1846.  I  find  this  among  my  Bunker  Hill  papers,  which  I 
prepared,  and  the  substance  was  issued  in  1832  or  '33,  without  a  name.  AMOS 
LAWRENCE." 

fHon.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Mayor  in  1829,  1830  and  1831  ;  but  the 
house  was  built  some  years  before. 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  161 

us  as  they  ought  to  have  been.  The  whole  Bunker  Hill  field 
is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  open  space  in  Charlestown ;  and 
besides  the  interest  in  it,  growing  out  of  its  connection  with  a 
new  era  in  the  history  of  man,  it  will  have  the  charm  of  adding 
directly  to  the  comfort  of  the  peoplev*who  reside  in  its  neighbor 
hood,  or  who  use  it  for  a  promenade.  This  beautiful  field, 
(except  a  space  of  six  hundred  by  four  hundred  feet,)  is  mort 
gaged  and  must  be  sold  unless  the  means  can  be  raised  to  save 
it.  The  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association  owe  about  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  It  may  be  said  perhaps  that  six  hundred 
by  four  hundred  feet  is  space  enough  for  a  Monument  Square. 
It  would  be  enough,  if  you  had  no  more,  and  could  get  no 
more  :  but  would  one  fourth  part  of  Boston  Common  be  enough 
for  the  citizens  if  they  could  sell  the  other  three-fourths  for 
enough  to  pay  the  city  debt,  and  save  two  millions  of  dollars 
besides  ?  The  Bunker  Hill  field  is  above  price  ;  the  time  will 
come  if  it  is  left  open,  when  it  will  be  the  most  interesting  spot 
in  this  country,  perhaps  the  most  interesting  in  any  country, 
and  will  exert  a  high  moral  and  political  influence  upon  pos 
terity.  Can  we  of  the  present  day  in  any  other  way  appropriate 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  so  much  to  their  advantage  ?  What 
man  in  this  city,  who  received  an  inheritance  from  his  fathers, 
wishes  his  money  had  been  increased  by  the  sale  fifty  years  ago 
of  our  beautiful  Common  ?  Is  not  his  inheritance  increased  in 
value  by  its  being  left  open  a  hundred  times  the  amount  it 
would  have  sold  for  ?  .  .  .  Whatever  adds  to  the  comforts 
of  our  city,  adds  to  its  property ;  and  every  citizen  has  an 
interest  in  making  the  residence  of  every  other  citizen  as  com 
fortable  as  possible.  In  this  way  we  secure  the  best  population 
and  keep  alive  a  home  attachment,  a  self-respect,  of  more  worth 
than  all  the  coin  of  this  Union." 
21 


162  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  ENTERPRISES  —  PLANS  FOR  THE  PROSECUTION 
OF  THE  WORK  —  1830. 


IT  has  often  been  remarked  that  if  the  difficulties  and  obsta 
cles,  to  say  nothing  of  disasters  and  accidents,  which  are  sure  to 
attend  the  progress  of  every  considerable  enterprise,  public  or 
private,  could  be  fore-known,  very  few  of  those  successfully 
accomplished  would  be  undertaken,  unless  prompted  by  some 
imperative  necessity.  Fortunately  it  is  not  so  —  fortunately, 
perhaps,  the  reverse  is  more  nearly  true  :  the  best  view  of  con 
tingencies,  the  easy  side  of  obstacles,  the  plausibility  of  theories, 
the  friendly  circumstances,  the  ease  with  which  difficulties  are 
to  be  surmounted  and  means  to  be  commanded  —  all  these  are 
contemplated  and  weighed,  —  and  with  an  assured  reliance 
upon  our  own  judgment  and  energies,  no  undertaking  within 
the  scope  of  man's  capacity  to  plan  is  supposed  to  be  beyond 
his  ability  to  execute ;  and  reasoning  from  what  has  been  accom 
plished,  in  ancient  time  and  in  our  own  time,  the  conclusion  is 
neither  illogical  or  without  substantial  basis. 

The  Directors  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association 
were  too  intelligent  to  be  misled  by  any  mere  plausibility  ;  but 
were  liable,  from  the  warmth  of  their  own  patriotic  and  generous 
impulses,  to  over-estimate  the  weight  of  these  upon  the  public 
mind  and  the  readiness  with  which  they  would  be  responded  to 
by  the  people  at  large.  This  mistake,  it  is  thought,  they  did 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLO-MON    WILLARD.  168 

make  —  honorable  to  them  as  showing  their  confidence  in  the 
patriotism  and  ability  of  the  people,  —  but  productive  of  the  re 
sult  which  ensued.  They  believed  that  all  the  means,  however 
considerable,  required  for  the  work  which  they  proposed  to  do, 
would  be  ready  for  their  asking :  *In  the  address  of  August, 
1830,  the  Directors  say,  "  The  funds  on  hand  were  adequate 
to  a  considerable  progress  in  the  structure,  and  reliance  was 
placed  on  the  public  spirit,  liberality  and  patriotism  of  the  com 
munity  to  furnish  the  means  which  should  be  eventually 
wanting  to  complete  it :"  and  Mr.  Willard,  whose  interest 
and  ardor  were  equal  to  their  own,  placed  entire  confidence 
in  their  judgment  in  this  matter,  and  in  their  ability  in  any 
event  to  forward  the  noble  work  which  they  had  undertaken.  — 
He  wras  very  much  averse  to  "begging,"  as  he  called  it,  and 
hoped  as  the  directors  did,  that  the  worthiness  of  the  object 
would  command  the  means.  They  appear  to  have  thought,  in 
the  first  place,  that  the  contributions  would  be  so  general  that 
a  small  sum  from  each  individual  would  be  sufficient  to  accom 
plish  the  object ;  but  it  was  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  all  would 
or  could  give  the  same  sum  :  the  least  able  in  hundreds  of  in 
stances,  gave  the  amount  apparently  desired,  and  the  wealthy, 
in  other  hundreds  of  instances,  contented  themselves  with  sub 
scribing  the  same  amount.  The  records  of  the  association  show 
that  in  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  sums 
subscribed  by  the  rich  were  almost  invariably  of  the  small 
amount  required  for  membership,  —  as  if  membership  and  a 
diploma  and  not  the  monument  were  the  object ;  —  those  who 
could  not  give  that  sum  did  not  give  at  all  —  so  that  the  lowest 
amount  was  obtained  from  the  rich,  and  the  same  or  nothing, 
from  all  other  classes. 

The  work  having  been  suspended,  the  directors  earnestly 
engaged  in  plans  and  efforts  to  provide  means  for  its  prosecution, 
when  the  next  season  opened.  The  proposed  lottery  scheme 
having  been  abandoned,  the  committee  charged  with  the  prose 
cution  of  that  measure  were  instructed  to  petition  the  legislature 


164  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD 

for  "  a  grant  in  money  or  land,  or  aid  in  such  other  manner  as 
the  general  court  might  deem  most  expedient."  But  the  gen 
eral  court  had  no  idea  of  aiding  the  work,  and  never  did  so  ex 
cepting  as  already  stated.  Mr.  Willard  was  opposed  to  these  re 
peated  applications  and  preferred  to  rely  on  the  people.  Upon 
being  repulsed  again  at  the  door  of  the  State  House,  the  com 
mittee  on  the  sixth  of  April,  reported  as  follows  :  ' k  We  are  thus 
thrown  back  upon  public  patronage  for  obtaining  the  requisite 
funds  for  completing  the  monument ;  and  have  no  doubt  of 
ultimate  success ;  for  the  cause  is  honorable,  patriotic  and 
sacred,  and  the  people  will  assuredly  go  on  with  a  work  which 
they  have  commenced  with  ardor,  and  will  glory  in  prosecuting 
until  it  towers  aloft  in  completed  magnificence."  This  was 
entirely  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Willard' s  hopes  and  feelings. 

The  proposition  of  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Hale  to  inaugurate  an  effort 
to  raise  funds  to  complete  the  monument  by  an  appeal  to  the 
Ladies  of  New  England,  made  to  the  Building  Committee  in 
January,  was  laid  before  the  Directors  in  April,  1830.  It  was 
accepted  with  avidity,  and  it  was  voted  u  that  this  commendable 
effort  .  %  .  merits  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of  the 
Directors,  .  .  .  and  that  whatever  sum  of  money  may  be 
obtained  shall  be  considered  sacred  and  applied  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  completing  the  monument."  This  effort  produced 
something  over  twenty-two  hundred  dollars,  which  was  deposited 
with  the  Massachusetts  Hospital  Life  Insurance  Company,  and 
when  applied  to  the  work  amounted  to  about  three  thousand 
dollars. 

Notwithstanding  the  confident  language  of  the  committee 
above  quoted,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  June,  the  Directors 
were  instructed  to  petition  the  legislature  again  for  a  grant  of 
money  from  the  amount  at  that  time  expected  from  the  general 
government  "on  account  of  the  militia  services  rendered  by  the 
State  during  the  last  war."  They  were  also  instructed  to  pre 
pare  an  address  to  the  people  explanatory  of  the  views  of  the 
association,  of  its  operations  and  condition,  and  to  distribute  the 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  ,165 

same  in  every  town  in  the  Commonwealth.  The  address,  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Everett,  was  submitted  on  the  thirteenth  day  of 
August,  and  was  an  earnest,  argumentative  and  eloquent  appeal 
to  the  people  and  the  legislature  for  aid  in  the  completion  of 
their  patriotic  undertaking.  In  copfir-mation,  as  it  would  seem, 
of  the  remarks  in  the  opening  of  this  chapter,  the  committee 
speak  of  their  labors  as  follows  :  "In  short,  the  Directors  ask 
permission  to  observe  that  their  labors  have  been  arduous  be 
yond  what  would  be  thought  by  those  unacquainted  from  expe 
rience  with  similar  undertakings ;  that  they  are  conscious  of 
having  been  actuated  by  no  motives  but  those  of  public  duty ; 
that  with  a  single  eye  to  the  completion  of  this  great  public 
work,  many  of  them  have  bestowed  more  time,  attention  and 
labor  upon  it,  than  can  often  be  spared  from  private  avocations ; 
and  that  they  have  done  this  without  the  hope  of  any  other  re 
ward  than  that  of  being  regarded  as  faithful  agents  of  an  im 
portant  public  trust." 

Referring  to  the  history  of  the  debt  due  to  the  State  and  as 
sumed  by  the  general  government,  the  address  says,  "  In  the 
debate  on  the  assumption  [of  this  debt]  in  the  first  Congress,  it 
was  particularly  stated  (as  we  are  informed  by  Chief  Justice 
Marshall,)  'that  the  ammunition  which  repulsed  the  enemy  at 
Bunker  Hill  was  purchased  by  Massachusetts  and  formed  a  part 
of  the  debt  of  that  State.'  In  the  war  of  1812,  this  fund  was 
again  expended  by  Massachusetts  in  active  preparation  to  repel 
an  anticipated  invasion.  Being  a  second  time  returned  by  the 
general  government  to  the  coffers  of  the  State,  what  more  ap 
propriate  use  could  be  made  of  a  small  portion  of  it  than  to 
grant  it  for  the  completion  of  this  grand  and  interesting  memo 
rial  of  that  ever  memorable  achievement  of  the  militia  of  Mas 
sachusetts  and  her  sister  New  England  States  which  will  render 
this  portion  of  our  soil  sacred  and  famous  to  the  end  of  time.  — 
.  .  .  The  fund  originally  bestowed  in  providing  warlike  sup 
plies  of  the  seventeenth  of  June,  1775,  will  then,  as  it  were,  be 
visibly  embodied  and  preserved  upon  the  field  of  that  day's  un- 


166  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

dying  glory.  There  it  will  exist  for  the  admiration  of  posterity, 
ages  after  every  vestige  of  the  ordinary  disbursements  of  the 
State  shall  have  passed  away ;  teaching  the  children  of  America, 
who  from  every  portion  of  the  Republic  will  make  their  pilgrim 
age  to  this  sacred  spot,  while  they  behold  the  majestic  structure 
that  crowns  it,  that  the  people  of  Massachusetts  of  this  genera 
tion  are  resolved  that  the  gallant  deeds  of  their  fathers  shall  not 
pass  uncommemorated. ' ' 

This  appeal  of  reason  and  eloquence  was  lost  upon  the  legis 
lature,  the  petition  never  receiving  its  attention. 

Mr.  Willard  thought  to  aid  these  efforts  of  the  directors  by 
preparing  a  pamphlet  for  the  press,  containing  the  act  of  incor 
poration  and  by-laws,  a  list  of  contributors  and  the  amount 
subscribed  by  each,  a  statement  showing  the  magnitude  and 
purpose  of  the  work  and  the  original  estimate  of  its  cost.  The 
manuscript  copy  of  this  pamphlet,  now  among  the  papers  in 
possession  of  the  association,  is  an  evidence  of  the  industry  and 
application  of  Mr.  Willard  in  whatever  he  undertook.  It  com 
prises  nearly  one  hundred  pages  of  copying,  including  several 
thousand  names,  arranged  under  the  headings  of  the  counties 
and  towns  in  which  the  contributors  resided.  At  the  meeting 
on  the  seventeenth  of  June,  the  association  voted  to  pay  the  cost 
of  printing  the  pamphlet  and  ordered  copies  to  be  distributed 
among  the  members. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  Building  Committee  was  held  on  the 
the  sixteenth  of  June,  1830.  The  report  of  the  Treasurer,  at 
this  time,  shew  a  balance  of  $2025  34,  in  his  hands,  nearly  one 
half  of  which  had  been  received  from  the  ladies. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  167 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

INTERRUPTION   IN  THE  GOVERNMENT — EFFORTS  OF  THE 
MECHANICS'  ASSOCIATION  — 1831  —  1 833. 


THE  application  to  the  legislature  and  the  appeal  to  the 
people,  eloquent  and  forcible  as  these  were,  and  sustained  in  the 
one  case  by  a  most  respectable  committee  and  in  the  other  by 
the  entire  government  of  the  association,  may  have  made  an 
impression  on  the  public  mind,  but  produced  no  direct  results  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  work.  Other  measures,  inaugurated  to 
wards  the  end  of  the  last  year,  were  not  prosecuted  during  the 
winter,  and  the  recurrence  of  the  annual  meeting  in  June,  1831, 
found  the  monument  covered  in,  and  all  the  work  in  statu  quo, 
Only  forty  persons  attended  the  meeting  of  the  association,  and 
a  majority  of  these  were  prominent  among  the  leaders  of  a 
newly-formed  political  party,*  who  were  violently  opposed  to 
those  proceedings  of  the  association  which  admitted  the  Masonic 
fraternity  to  a  participation  in  the  service  of  laying  the  corner 
stone  in  1825  ;  and  they  succeeded  in  electing  themselves  and 
their  friends  to  office  —  a  measure  preliminary,  it  was  said  but 
since  denied,  to  changes  of  a  more  objectionable  character  on 
the  work  itself.  At  this  meeting  the  President  was  elected  by 
twenty-eight  votes,  being  a  majority  of  seven.  The  offices, 
heretofore  filled  by  the  projectors  and  early  friends  of  the  mon- 


*TLis  party  was  known  as  the  "  Anti-Masonic   party  " 


168  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

ument,  were  thus  taken  possession  of  by  those  who  had  other 
purposes  to  subserve  than  the  completion  of  the  work  which  they 
proposed  to  assume.  The  designs  of  this  party,  however,  what 
ever  they  were,  were  thwarted  by  their  failure  to  elect  a  full 
board  of  directors  and  by  measures  which  were  adopted  at  an 
adjournment  of  the  meeting  when  the  existing  vacancies  were 
filled.  The  meeting  for  this  purpose  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
when  five  hundred  and  eighty-two  members  of  the  association 
were  present  and  voted.  The  remainder  of  the  directors  were 
elected  by  a  nearly  unanimous  vote,  no  one  of  them  having- less 
than  five  hundred  and  seventy-nine  votes.  Not  only  the  mem 
bers  of  the  association  but  the  whole  community  condemned 
the  proceedings  which  rendered  a  second  meeting  necessary. 

The  new  party  held  numerous  meetings,  —  generally  without 
a  quorum,  —  during  their  year  of  service,  but  did  not  attempt 
to  organize  a  Building  Committee,  nor  succeed  in  inaugurating 
any  measures  to  forward  the  work.  In  a  " report,"  printed  but 
never  presented  to  the  association,  the  President  and  his  con 
freres  attempted  to  justify  their  proceedings,  establish  the  hon 
esty  and  disinterestedness  of  their  motives,  and  throw  blame  and 
odium  upon  the  honorable,  patriotic  and  devoted  gentlemen  who 
both  preceded  and  succeeded  them  in  office.  The  conclusion, 
however,  to  which  they  came  very  early  in  their  "report,"  was 
that  "They  found  the  monument  incompleted,  .  .  *  .  and 
they  left  as  they  found  it."  This  was  precisely  what  it  was 
feared  they  would  not  do  ;  but  they  were  held  in  subjection  by 
their  associates  and  the  still  stronger  bias  of  public  sentiment. 
It  may  be  said  of  their  "  report"  that  "  what  there  is  true  in  it 
is  not  new,  and  what  is  new  is  not  true."  The  true  portions 
are  admitted ;  the  untrue  it  has  never  been  deemed  necessary 
to  answer.  Among  the  truths  which  form  the  exceptions  to  its 
general  character,  are  the  words  bestowed  upon  the  patriotic 
architect,  whom  they  accurately  describe  as  "the  indefatigable 
and  extraordinarily  disinterested  architect."  The  argument 
intended  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  Mr,  Willard  was  the  true 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  169 

architect  of  the  monument,  was  wholly  uncalled-for  from  them 
and  only  necessary  for  a  sinister  purpose,  —  that  of  casting 
odium  upon  the  masonic  fraternity  and  the  proceedings  in  which 
they  took  part. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  Juae,^1832,  the  association  re 
deemed  itself  and  restored  the  government  to  those  to  whom  it 
rightfully  belonged.  Mr.  William  Prcscott,  who  had  been  so 
unceremoniously  displaced,  was  again  elected  President  by  over 
four  hundred  votes.  Nothing  was  done  towards  the  completion 
of  the  monument  during  the  year.  In  December  a  committee 
was  appointed  "  to  consider  what  measures  it  will  be  expedient 
to  adopt  with  reference  to  raising  funds  for  the  completion  of 
the  work  ;"  but  its  services  were  never  made  available. 

In  May,  1833,  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic  Asso 
ciation,  "  not  less  in  accordance  with  their  own  feelings  than  in 
compliance  with  the  desire  of  others."  undertook  the  inaugura 
tion  of  measures  for  the  immediate  completion  of  the  monument. 
They  adopted  resolutions,  published  an  address  to  the  people, 
held  a  great  public  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall,  and  in  other  ways 
entered  earnestly  upon  the  undertaking.  In  all  their  measures 
they  had  the  consent,  the  sympathy  and  the  cooperation  of  the 
Monument  Association,  the  Directors  having  promptly  voted, 
"That  this  Board  are  highly  gratified  by  this  manifestation  of 
interest  in  a  great  national  work  on  the  part  of  the  Massachu 
setts  Charitable  Mechanic  Association  ;  that  this  Board  respect 
fully  recommend  to  all  the  members  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monu 
ment  Association  to  render  all  the  aid  and  support  in  their 
power  in  this  highly  acceptable  and  praiseworthy  interposition 
to  do  honor  to  the  past  and  to  the  present  age,  and  to  deserve 
the  gratitude  of  ages  to  come." 

The  public  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall,  was  held  on  the  28th  of 
May  ;  the  Directors  determined  to  attend  in  a  body  and  invited 
the  members  of  the  association  to  be  present  "  in  testimony  of 
their  accordance  in  the  honorable  and  patriotic  feelings  which 
have  influenced  the  Mechanic  Association  to  take  these  mcas- 
22 


170  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

ures."  The  principal  address  on  this  occasion  was  by  Mr. 
Edward  Everett,  whose  heart  had  been  interested  in  the  subject 
from  the  first  suggestion  of  the  work.  This  speech,  Mr.  Law 
rence  wrote,  was  "the  most  eloquent  he  ever  made."  It  was 
"  touching  and  beautiful,  and  was  considered  at  the  time  as  deci 
sive  and  that  the  money  would  be  subscribed  for  finishing  the 
monument  and  saving  the  whole  field,  at  once."  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  sick,  could  do  nothing  himself  and  became  impressed  with 
the  idea  that  the  mechanics  had  failed  in  this  instance,  "to 
strike  while  the  iron  was  hot."  "  If  I  had  been  in  health,"  he 
wrote  on  a  copy  of  this  address,  "  I  would  have  had  the  whole 
thing  done,  so  far  as  collecting  fifty  thousand  dollars  would  have 
done  it.  in  forty-eight  hours  after  the  adjournment  of  this  meet 
ing."  We  feel  justified  in  quoting  a  brief  passage  from  the 
address  of  Mr.  Everett,  as  the  argument  may  be  almost  as  ne 
cessary  with  some  persons  today  as  when  first  delivered  :— 

"  But  I  am  met  with  the  great  objection,  What  good  will 
the  Monument  do?  I  beg  leave,  sir,  to  exercise  my  birth 
right  as  a  Yankee,  and  answer  this  question  by  asking  two  or 
three  more,  to  which  I  believe  it  will  be  quite  as  difficult  to 
furnish  a  satisfactory  reply.  I  am  asked,  What  good  will  the 
Monument  do  ?  And  I  ask,  What  good  does  anything  do  ? 
What  is  good  ?  Does  anything  do  any  good  ?  The  persons  who 
suggest  this  objection,  of  course,  think  that  there  are  some  pro 
jects  and  undertakings  that  do  good ;  and  I  should  therefore 
like  to  have  the  idea  of  good  explained  and  analyzed,  and  run 
out  to  its  elements.  When  this  is  done,  if  I  do  not  demonstrate 
in  about  two  minutes,  that  the  Monument  does  the  same  kind  of 
good  that  anything  else  does,  I  will  consent  that  the  huge  blocks 
of  granite  already  laid,  should  be  reduced  to  gravel,  and  carted 
off  to  fill  up  the  mill-pond  :  for  that  I  suppose  is  one  of  the 
good  things.  Does  a  railroad  or  canal  do  good  ?  Answer,  Yes. 
And  how  ?  It  facilitates  intercourse,  opens  markets  and  in 
creases  the  wealth  of  the  country.  But  what  is  this  good  for  ? 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  171 

Why,  individuals  prosper  and  get  rich.  And  what  good  does 
that  do  ?  Is  mere  wealth,  as  an  ultimate  end,  —  gold  and  silver 
without  an  inquiry  as  to  their  use,  —  are  these  a  good  ?  Cer 
tainly  not.  I  should  insult  this  audience  by  attempting  to  prove 
that  a  rich  man,  as  such,  was  neither  'better  nor  happier,  than  a 
poor  one.  But  as  men  grow  rich,  they  live  better.  Is  there 
any  good  in  this,  stopping  here  ?  Is  mere  animal  life,  —  feed 
ing,  working,  and  sleeping  like  an  ox,  entitled  to  be  called  good  ? 
Certainly  not.  But  these  improvements  increase  the  population. 
And  what  good  does  that  do  ?  Where  is  the  good  in  counting 
twelve  millions  instead  of  six  of  mere  feeding,  working,  sleeping 
animals  ?  There  is  then  no  good  in  the  mere  animal  life,  ex 
cept  that  it  is  the  basis  of  that  higher  moral  existence  which 
resides  in  the  soul,  the  heart,  the  mind,  the  conscience  ;  in  good 
principles,  good  feelings,  and  the  good  actions,  (and  the  more 
disinterested,  the  better  entitled  to  be  called  good,)  which  flow 
from  them.  Now,  sir,  I  say  that  generous  and  patriotic  senti 
ments  ;  sentiments  which  prepare  us  to  serve  our  country,  to 
live  for  our  country,  to  die  for  our  country,  —  feelings  like  those 
which  carried  Prescott,  and  Warren,  and  Putnam,  to  the  battle 
field,  are  good  ;  —  good,  humanly  speaking,  of  the  highest  order. 
It  is  good  to  have  them,  good  to  encourage  them,  good  to  honor 
them,  good  to  commemorate  them ;  and  whatever  tends  to  cher 
ish,  animate  and  strengthen  such  feelings,  does  as  much  right 
down  practical  good  as  filling  up  flats  and  building  railroads. 
This  is  my  demonstration." 

This  eloquent  and  beautiful  address,  and  especially  the  en 
nobling  lesson  we  have  quoted,  as  well  as  the  celebrated  orations 
by  Mr.  Webster,  is  to  be  counted  among  the  "good  things" 
which  the  erection  of  the  monument  has  produced. 

That  the  Directors  of  the  Monument  Association  fully  appre 
ciated  the  "interposition"  of  the  Mechanic  Association  has  al 
ready  been  shown.  As  a  further  acknowledgment  of  the  inter 
est  manifested  and  the  service  proposed  to  be  rendered,  the  by- 


172  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

aws  were  altered  so  as  to  enlarge  the  Board  of  Directors,  and 
the  office  of  first  Vice  President  was  made  inherent  in  the  per 
son  holding  the  office  of  President  of  the  Mechanic  Association. 
At  the  annual  meeting  in  June,  in  accordance  with  these  pur 
poses,  Mr.  J.  T.  Buckingham  was  elected  first  Vice  President, 
and  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  the  same  interest  chosen  on  the 
Board  of  Directors. 

Thus  were  the  different  classes  of  society,  as  represented  by 
the  various  occupations  and  professions,  again  united  as  in  rev 
olutionary  times,  in  a  common  object  of  public  interest.  Then, 
the  merchants,  the  lawyers,  the  doctors  and  the  clergy,  united 
with  the  mechanics ;  now,  the  mechanics  had  come  to  the  aid 
of  the  professions,  in  a  cause  of  much  less  magnitude,  but  one 
entirely  worthy  of  an  united  effort. 

As  a  means  of  promoting  subscriptions,  a  new  certificate  of 
membership  was  prepared  in  the  name  of  the  two  associations  ; 
and  this,  while  it  afforded  a  slight  encouragement  to  art,  requir 
ed  the  expenditure  of  a  thousand  dollars,  which  of  course,  was 
added  to  the  amount  to  be  raised  for  the  monument.  The  design 
of  this  diploma  included  a  view  of  the  battle-field,  and  one  of  the 
completed  monument  with  the  city  in  the  back  ground. 

In  July,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Directors,  an  Executive  Com 
mittee  of  nine  was  appointed,  with  Mr.  Buckingham  as  chair 
man.  They  were  instructed  to  inquire  into  various  matters 
pertaining  to  the  progress  and  completion  of  the  work  and 
state  of  the  subscriptions,  and  to  report  their  opinion  as  to  the 
best  mode  of  future  proceedings.  Two  other  meetings  were  held 
this  year,  but  the  committee  were  not  then  prepared  to  report. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  173 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


REPORT   OF   THE  COMMITTEE — MR.  WILLARD'S   REVIEW   OF   IT. 


THE  year  1834,  it  was  hoped  and  believed,  would  see  the 
monument  re-commenced  and  completed.  It  had  been  for  ten 
years  before  the  public,  and  nearly  nine  years  had  elapsed  since 
the  ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  was  performed  —  at 
which  time  no  one  supposed  it  would  require  more  than  a  year 
or  two  to  complete  the  work.  When  the  Mechanic  Association 
inaugurated  the  present  movement,  public  confidence  revived 
and  there  was  a  general  desire  to  see  the  roofing  removed  from 
the  monument  and  the  work  begun. 

In  January,  Mr.  Buckingham  reported  that  the  Mechanic 
Association  had  obtained  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  mostly  on  the  condition  that  fifty  thous 
and  dollars  should  be  subscribed.  In  May,  the  same  gentleman 
presented  the  report  of  the  Executive  Committee  in  detail.  — 
The  following  extract  is  from  this  report :  — 

"  The  report  [of  a  sub-committee]  is  herewith  submitted,  and 
it  will  be  seen  therefrom  that  the  work  already  done  under  the 
direction  of  the  architect,  Mr.  Solomon  Willard,  is  well  and 
faithfully  done,  and  at  less  cost  than  it  could  have  been  done  by 
any  person  but  Solomon  Willard,  who  has  devoted  himself  to 
the  monument  with  extraordinary  enthusiasm. 

"  The  sub-committee  estimate  the  future  work  at  one  dollar 
and  thirty  cents  per  cubic  foot.  Mr.  Willard  estimates  it  at 
eighty-nine  and  a  half  cents.  The  former  estimate  is  assumed 


174  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

for  the  present  purpose  as  the  safest,  and  on  that  basis  the  sub 
committee  report  that  it  will  cost  — 

'   "To  raise  the  monument  121  feet,  $28,967  36 

"  "       159  feet  6  inches,       42,922  40 

"  "       -     "       220  feet,  55,576  40 

"  The  Committee  are  of  opinion  that  the  present  effort  should 
be  limited  to  raising  the  monument  [to  the  height  of]  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty-nine  feet  six  inches. 

"  The  corporation  owes  $30,000.  This  debt  arose  from  the 
purchase  of  the  battle-ground  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  kept 

open  and  sacred  forever Assuming  two  things  for 

the  present  purpose,  viz :  1st,  That  the  battle-ground  must  go 
to  common  uses.  2d,  That  the  monument  shall  be  considered 
completed,  as  to  the  present  effort,  when  raised  to  the  elevation 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  feet  six  inches, — Can  means  be 
found  to  complete  it  ? 

"  The  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic  Association  have 
subscriptions  for  about  thirty  thousand  dollars,  on  condition 
that  the  whole  amount  subscribed  rise  to  fifty  thousand  dollars 
by  the  first  of  June,  1834.  Supposing  that  this  condition  can 
be  complied  with,  then  the  case  would  stand  thus  :  — 

"  Cost  of  building  159  feet  6  in.,      -       -       $42,922  40 

"  Present  debt,         -  30,000  00 


Total,          -         -  $72,922  40 

"It  is  hoped  that  a  company  can  be  formed  to  take  the  land 
of  the  corporation  in  shares  of  five  hundred  dollars  each,  leaving 
a  four  hundred  feet  Square  and  streets  on  each  side  fifty  feet 
wide.  If  so,  there  would  be  raised  — 

"  Towards  the  debt,  $25,000 

"  Present  subscriptions,         -  -     30,000 

"  Expected  subscriptions,  20,000 

"  Sale  of  machinery,  (cost  $10,000)  2,000 

"Ladies'  fund,  -         -         -       V        3,000 


Total,         -         -         -  $80,000" 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  175 

In  view  of  this  state  of  affairs,  the  Monument  Association 
consented  that  the  Mechanic  Association  should  "  forthwith 
proceed  with  what  means  they  have  and  can  collect,  to  raise  the 
monument  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  feet  six  inches,"  and  that 
the  "Ladies'  Fund"  and  the  new,, Certificates  of  Membership, 
should  be  placed  at  their  disposal  —  and  votes  were  passed  ac 
cordingly  at  the  same  meeting,  on  the  5th  of  May. 

Mr.  Willard  was  a  member  of  the  Mechanic  Association,  and 
of  course  was  cognizant  of  all  these  proceedings.  Although 
discharged  from  the  work,  he  was  constantly  consulted  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  both  in  relation  to  the  laying  out  and 
sale  of  the  land  and  the  work  on  the  monument,  done  and  to  be 
done.  Mr.  Peres  Loring  was  employed  by  the  committee  to 
make  a  survey  of  the  whole  work  and  estimates  of  the  amount 
of  stone  already  in  the  monument  or  prepared  for  use,  and  of 
the  amount  required  to  complete  the  work. 

The  condition  of  things  at  this  time,  as  now  briefly  stated, 
and  especially  the  report  of  the  sub-committee,  drew  from  Mr. 
Willard  the  following  characteristic  letter  : 

"  Boston,  May,  1834. 

"  Dear  Sir, — After  reviewing  the  report  of  the  committee, 
which  was  the  subject  of  a  conversation  at  your  office  the  other 
day,  I  still  think  that  there  are  parts  of  it  which  may  be  con 
sidered  by  some  as  wanting  in  accuracy.  I  apprehend  that  there 
are  those  who  may  be  disposed  to  question  the  truth  of  the  asser 
tion  that  the  work  has  been  done  "at  a  less  cost  than  it  could 
have  been  done  by  any"  other.  Indeed  it  is  quite  obvious  that 
this  could  not  have  been  known  to  be  true ;  and,  admitting  it  to 
be  so,  it  gives  no  definite  idea  of  the  value  of  the  services  ren 
dered  by  the  one  who  conducted  the  work,  which  appears  to 
have  been  the  principal  object  in  making  the  statement.  The 
services  referred  to  had  undoubtedly  a  value  of  a  substantial 
kind,  —  a  value  in  dollars  and  cents,  —  a  mode  of  estimating 
things  with  which  Bostonians  arc  known  to  be  competent  judges. 


176  MEMOIR   OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

And  the  exact  sum  might  have  been  shown  by  merely  stating 
the  market  value  of  the  work  done  and  deducting  therefrom  the 
sum  expended. 

"  I  have  always  felt  solicitous  to  have  this  point  settled,  and 
it  appears  now  to  be  a  favorable  time  :  One  of  the  principal 
objects  of  my  engaging  in  the  enterprize  was  to  ascertain  by 
actual  experiment  the  prime  cost  of  a  building  material  which 
was  much  wanted,  and  the  design  of  erecting  the  monument 
presented  a  favorable  opportunity. 

"  The  plan  for  prosecuting  the  work  was  suggested  by  myself, 
and  adopted  by  the  Building  Committee  who  then  had  charge 
of  the  work,  and  who  are  about  to  resign  the  trust  into  other 
hands.  I  think,  therefore,  at  the  conclusion  of  their  labors,  it 
would  be  satisfactory  to  all  concerned  to  know  the  result  of  the 
experiment  which  has  been  made,  whether  favorably  or  not,  and 
I  think  also  that  it  is  a  duty  which  the  committee  owe  to  them 
selves  to  make  a  proper  statement,  as  those  who  are  about  to 
take  their  places  will  not  be  backward  in  assuming  whatever 
credit  may  fairly  belong  to  them.  I  think  also  that  a  true  and 
faithful  account  of  their  stewardship  is  due  from  the  committee 
to  those  who  have  contributed  to  the  funds,  as  by  satisfying 
them  that  their  money  has  been  well  expended  is  the  most  likely 
way  to  obtain  more.  A  clamor  has  been  kept  up  from  the 
commencement  of  the  work  to  the  present  time,  in  relation  to 
the  expenditure  of  the  funds,  and  should  it  be  found  on  exami 
nation  that  the  work  has  actually  cost  more  than  has  been  paid 
for  corresponding  work  at  other  places,  it  will  undoubtedly  be  a 
proof  of  injudicious  planning,  and  show  conclusively  that  the 
services  of  their  committee  and  agent  have  been  of  no  advantage 
to  the  association,  whatever  their  endeavor  may  have  been  to 
render  them  so.  On  the  contrary,  if  it  be  found  that  the  work 
has  cost  less  than  others  have  paid  for  similar  work,  there  will 
be  a  credit  due  for  skilful  management,  and  its  exact  value  will 
be  indicated  by  the  balance  found. 

"  The  quantities  of  stone  and  dressing  that  have  been  delivered 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  177 

are  already  known  by  actual  survey.  According  to  Loring's 
measurement,  there  are  57,802  feet  of  stone,  cubic  measure, 
already  split  out  and  a  larger  part  delivered  on  Breed's  Hill. 
The  market  value  of  such  a  lot  of  stone,  I  shall  estimate  at  75 
cents  per  cubic  foot,  and  the  whole  would  amount  to  $43,351.50 
at  that  price.  The  number  of  feet  of  dressing,  according  to  the 
same  survey  and  measured  in  the  customary  way,  is  52,569 
feet,  superficial  measure.  The  average  price  of  first  rate  work, 
for  fifteen  years  past,  is  assumed  to  be  50  cents,  and  the  whole 
will  amount  at  that  price  to  $26,284  50.  The  number  of  cubic 
feet  laid  up,  according  to  the  same  survey,  is  35,878,  and  the 
market  price  per  foot,  is  assumed  to  be  30  cents,  including  the 
fitting,  hoisting,  laying,  mortar,  iron  cramps,  and  scaffolding, 
with  the  wear  on  the  machinery,  and  every  other  expense  con 
nected,  and  would  amount  at  the  above  price  to  $10.763  40,— 
and  the  total  amount  of  the  three  items  at  the  assumed  prices, 
would  be  $80,399  40. 

"  The  question  to  be  settled  is  whether  the  assumed  prices 
are  an  average  of  those  paid  for  similar  work  for  the  last  fifteen 
years,  or  whether  they  are  above  or  below  the  current  prices. 

"  In  order  to  ascertain  this  it  will  be  necessary  to  refer  to  the 
bills  paid  for  similar  work  at  different  places.  And  in  relation 
to  the  cost  of  the  stone,  of  the  dimensions  of  those  used  at  the 
monument,  we  may  refer  to  the  bills  paid  at  the  General  Hos 
pital,  for  the  blocks  which  compose  the  columns,  and  to  those 
paid  at  the  Branch  Bank  for  the  architrave  pieces,  and  the 
blocks  for  the  columns  which  were  originally  intended  to  have 
been  in  five  pieces,  and  for  which  contracts  were  made.  We 
may  also  refer  to  the  bills  paid  at  the  Tremont  House,  for  the 
blocks  for  the  columns  to  the  portico  and  in  the  cornice ;  and  to 
those  paid  at  the  Washington  Bank  for  the  footings  to  the  col 
umns,  and  at  the  Arcade  in  Providence,  for  similar  pieces.  We 
may  also  refer  to  the  bills  paid  at  the  Dry  Docks  in  Charles- 
town  and  Norfolk,  for  a  large  number  of  blocks  of  a  correspond 
ing  size ;  and  to  those  paid  at  the  new  Bank  now  erecting  in 
23 


178  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

State  street,  for  the  piers  that  support  the  columns.  And  also 
to  those  that  are  to  be  paid  at  the  New  Court  House  for  a  large 
quantity  of  work  about  to  be  contracted  for,  and  to  any  bills 
which  may  have  been  paid  for  blocks  of  four  tons  weight,  sold 
in  the  market  within  the  time  specified. 

"  In  order  to  ascertain  the  value  of  the  dressing,  of  first  rate 
work,  we  have  only  to  refer  to  the  prices  paid  at  some  of  the 
principal  buildings  that  have  been  erected,  viz  :  to  those  paid  at 
Mr.  Sears' s  house,  for  straight  and  circular  work  ;  to  those  paid 
at  the  Tremont  House,  at  the  Theatre,  at  Mr.  Webster's  house, 
at  Mr.  Gushing' s  house,  at  the  New  Court  House,  at  the  new 
Bank,  at  Astor's  Hotel,  &c.  The  market  value  of  the  mason 
work  may  be  found  in  a  similar  manner,  and  a  bill  in  the  form 
of  an  account  current,  including  the  three  items  above-named  at 
the  prices  found,  would  probably  stand  as  follows  : 

[We  omit  the  form  of  account  mentioned  as  being  simply  a 
recapitulation  of  the  above  statements.] 

"  Allowing  the  prices  assumed  to  be  the  market  prices,  the 
above  bill  shows  that  the  work  already  done  would  have  cost  the 
association  the  sum  of  eighty  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  dollars,  had  they  paid  the  current  price,  —  a  sum  far  ex 
ceeding  the  one  actually  paid  out. 

"  But  the  advantages  already  derived  are  not  all  that  are 
possessed  by  the  association,  in  consequence  of  the  labors  and 
good  planning  of  those  who  commenced  the  work.  There  are 
still  nearly  thirty -four  thousand  feet  of  stone  required  to  carry 
the  monument  to  the  height  proposed,  for  which  the  association 
would  have  to  pay  the  market  price  were  they  excluded  from 
the  quarry  they  now  possess,  and  from  other  advantages  derived 
from  the  exertions  of  those  who  have  been  early  engaged. 

"  The  current  prices  may  be  found  as  in  other  cases,  namely, 
by  collecting  an  account  of  sales  for  the  time  specified.  With 
respect  to  ascertaining  the  prices  which  have  been  paid  for  the 
dressing  and  mason's  work,  there  will  be  little  difficulty.  The 


MEMOIR    OP   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  179 

prices  paid  for  blocks  of  granite,  of  the  dimensions  used  at  the 
monument,  will  not  be  so  easily  ascertained,  as  care  has  gener 
ally  been  taken  to  conceal  the  amount  paid.  This  has  been 
accomplished  either  by  a  secret  contract  or  evasive  answers,  or 
by  "  lumping"  the  high  and  low  ^rlfced  stone  together.  The 
prices  which  have  been  paid  per  cubic  foot  at  the  different  places 
referred  to,  are  supposed  to  be  nearly  as  follows  : 

Per  Cubic  foot, 

At  the  General  Hospital,  for  columns,         .     .   .  1  00 

At  the  Branch  Bank,  for  architrave,            .  2  00 

Which  were  to  have  been  paid  for  columns,           .  1  00 

At  the  Tremont  House,  for  columns,           . '..      .  1  00 

blocks  for  cornice,           .  60 

At  the  Washington  Bank,  for  footing,         .         .  1  00 

At  the  Arcade  in  Providence,  for  do.,         •,  .       .  1  00 

At  the  Dry  Dock  in  Charlestown,     .  .         .         .  60 

At  Norfolk  for  Dry  Dock,         ...  70 

At  the  New  Bank  in  State  street,  for  piers,         *  1  00 

For  the  New  Court  House,         .         ...  1  00 
Average  price  of  these  sales,         99  cents. 

"  It  will  be  observed  that  the  average  of  the  above  sales  is 
higher  than  the  one  assumed  in  the  account. 

"  Nothing  appears  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  show  the  value 
of  the  plan  that  has  been  pursued,  and  the  credit  due  to  the 
managers  than  to  settle  the  market  value  per  foot  of  the  three 
items  of  the  foregoing  bill.  9  . 

"  In  relation  to  the  estimate  made  by  the  sub-committee  of  the 
expense  of  the  work  to  be  done,  there  is  something  that  I  do  not 
understand.  It  is  stated  in  the  report  that  '  the  sub-committee 
estimate  the  future  work  at  one  dollar  and  thirty  cents  the  cubic 
foot ;  Mr.  Willard  estimates  it  at  eighty-nine  and  a  half  cents. 
The  former  price  is  assumed  for  the  present  purpose  as  the  safest, 
and  on  that  basis  the  committee  report.'  That  one  hundred  and 
thirty  cents  per  foot  would  be  considered  more  safe  than  eighty- 
nine  and  a  half  cents,  I  think  is  quite  probable  ;  and  that  two 


180  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

dollars  per  foot  would  be  considered  still  more  safe ;  but  it 
strikes  me  that  it  would  have  been  much  more  ingenuous  for 
the  sub-committee  to  have  stated  the  exact  sum  that  the  work 
had  cost  per  foot,  and  if  they  perceived  any  reason  wThy  the  work 
to  be  done  should  cost  more,  to  have  given  their  reasons  and  the 
estimated  amount.  An  actual  experiment  is  a  practical  demon 
stration,  and  to  oppose  the  opinion  of  any  one  wrho  never  saw  a 
stone  quarried  to  the  best  possible  wisdom,  is  exceedingly  absurd. 
I  think  also  that  it  is  presuming  quite  too  much  on  the  gulli 
bility  of  the  public  to  present  so  loose  an  estimate. 

"  The  expenses  connected  with  any  great  enterprise,  it  is  well 
known,  consist  of  the  outlay  required  in  making  the  necessary 
preparations  for  commencing  it ;  and  the  cost  of  the  labor  and 
wear  of  apparatus  in  prosecuting  the  work.  The  preparations 
for  commencing  the  work  of  building  the  monument  required  a 
considerable  expenditure.  At  Breed's  Hill,  the  preparation 
consisted  in  sinking  a  foundation  nearly  fifty  feet  square  and 
twelve  feet  deep,  and  laying  an  inclined  plane  of  flag-stone  from 
the  road  to  the  monument,  to  facilitate  the  drawing  up  of  the 
large  blocks  of  granite  which  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  do 
on  the  soft  ground.  The  prosecution  of  the  work  required  also 
an  expensive  hoisting  apparatus,  with  substantial  guy-posts, 
planted  deep  in  the  earth  and  ballasted.  A  capstan-house  was 
also  necessary,  with  sheds  and  blacksmiths'  shops,  and  various 
sets  of  tools,  jacks  and  other  apparatus.  A  hoisting  apparatus 
was  also  found  necessary  at  the  wharf  where  the  stone  was 
landed. 

"  The  preparations  at  Quincy  consisted  in  clearing  and  open 
ing  the  quarry  ;  making  roads,  erecting  a  boarding-house,  black 
smiths'  shop,  stone  cutters'*  sheds  and  other  buildings  ;  a  timber 
run  and  machinery  for  lowering  the  stone,  &c.  And  there  was 
also  a  large  quantity  of  quarrying  apparatus  wanted,  consisting 
of  jacks,  iron  bars,  sledges,  hammers,  &c.,  the  greater  part  of 
which  are  now  on  hand. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  181 

"  The  expense  of  all  this  apparatus,  with  the  time  lost ;  cost 
of  superintendence,  and  various  other  expenses,  have  been  car 
ried  to  the  contingent  account,  where  they  properly  belong.  The 
total  amount  of  this  contingent  bill  is  about  $17,400,  and  this 
sum  being  divided  by  the  whole  number  of  foet  of  stone  required 
at  the  outset,  namely,  87,000,  would  give  twenty  cents,  as  the 
cost  per  foot  for  the  contingent  expenses  in  making  the  necessary 
preparation  for  commencing  the  work,  &c. 

ts  The  cost  of  labor  and  wear  of  apparatus  per  foot,  for  the 
work  already  performed,  have  been  found  by  experiment  to  be 
seventy-three  cents,  namely,  cost  of  quarrying  per  foot  measured 
after  the  blocks  are  brought  to  form,  ten  cents  ;  cost  of  trans 
porting  from  the  quarry  to  the  site  of  the  monument,  nine  and 
a  half  cents  per  foot ;  the  cost  of  dressing  one  foot  and  one-fiftieth 
of  a  foot,  (being  the  quantity  on  each  foot  cubic  measure,)  was 
about  thirty-seven  cents  ;  and  the  cost  of  fitting,  hoisting,  ma 
son  work,  mortar,  iron  cramps,  scaffolding,  &c.,  per  foot,  has 
been  sixteen  and  a  half  cents.  This  has  been  ascertained  by 
dividing  the  whole  sum  paid  out  by  the  whole  number  of  cubic 
feet  laid  up,  according  to  Loring's  survey.  And  all  the  details 
of  the  expense  of  a  foot  will  be  as  follows,  viz  : 

Cost  of  quarrying,  per  foot,        .         .'       - .  10 

Cost  of  dressing  one  and  one-fiftieth  at  86,  .  87 

Cost  of  transportation,        ,?         .         .         .  09.5 

Cost  of  fitting,  hoisting,  masonry,  &c.          .  16.5 

Total  for  labor  and  wear,  73 

Contingent  expense  per  foot  paid,  .         .       20 


Total  expense  laid  in  the  work,  .  .  98  cents. 
"  It  must  be  obvious  that  had  the  work  been  completed  with 
out  interruption,  there  would  have  been  but  little  further  occa 
sion  for  the  kind  of  expense  which  has  been  carried  to  the  con 
tingent  account,  as  all  the  necessary  preparation  had  been  made. 
The  quarry  was  considered  in  perfect  order  for  finishing  the 


182  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

work  without  any  further  expense  in  clearing.  The  roads  were 
all  made  and  in  good  repair,  and  most  of  the  apparatus  was  in 
perfect  order,  and  consequently  all  the  expense  that  could  have 
attended  the  completion  of  the  work,  was  the  cost  of  the  labor 
and  the  wear  on  the  apparatus,  which  has  been  proved  by  actual 
experiment  to  have  amounted  to  only  seventy-three  cents  per 
cubic  foot,  laid  in  the  work.  And  the  thirty-two  thousand  feet 
required  to  carry  the  work  to  the  height  proposed  at  seventy- 
three  cents  per  foot,  would  amount  to  only  twenty-three  thous 
and  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  ($23,360.) 

"  But  in  consequence  of  the  suspension  of  the  work  for  several 
years,  and  the  decay  of  various  parts  of  the  apparatus,  and 
other  circumstances  connected,  there  are  parts  of  the  work  which 
I  think  will  cost  more  than  similar  parts  that  have  been  already 
done.  The  quantity  of  dressing  in  proportion  to  the  cubic  foot, 
is  found  to  increase  as  we  rise  in  height.  The  average  of  the 
part  which  remains  to  be  done  is  about  one  and  a  quarter  feet 
of  dressing  to  each  cubic  foot  of  stone ;  whereas  in  that  which 
has  been  already  finished  there  is  only  one  and  one-fiftieth  to 
each  cubic  foot.  But  having  in  view  all  the  important  bearings, 
I  shall  estimate  the  cost  of  the  work  to  be  done  at  the  following 
rates,  provided  it  be  under  the  direction  of  competent  managers  : 
[This  estimate  differs  from  the  preceding  in  putting  the  trans 
portation  at  12  cents  per  foot,  making  the  cost  for  labor  and 
wear  of  machinery  76  cents ;  and  reducing  the  contingent  ex 
penses  to  6  cents,  making  the  total  cost  per  foot  laid  in  the  work, 
82  cents.]  32,000  feet,  the  quantity  required  to  carry  the 
work  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high,  at  82  cents,  $26,240  ; 
deduct  for  the  value  of  the  apparatus  to  be  sold  at  the  end,  es 
timated  by  the  sub-committee,  $2,500  ;  balance  required  to  be 
raised,  $23,740.  Balance  required  to  be  raised  as  estimated  by 
sub-committee,  'in  order  to  be  safe,'  $42,922  40. 

11  The  committee  appear  to  have  made  quite  a  mistake  in  say 
ing  that  '  Mr.  Willard  estimates  [the  future  work]  at  eighty- 
nine  and  a  half  cents.'  If  the  committee  will  turn  to  the  pamph- 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  183 

let  published  some  years  ago,  they  will  see  that  eighty-nine 
and  a  half  cents  is  estimated  as  the  mean  average  cost  of  the 
whole  work,  and  consequently  it  should  have  been  inferred  that 
part  of  the  work  had  cost  more  than  that  sum  and  that  a  part 
would  cost  less.  This  sum  of  eighty-nine  and  a  half  cents  covers 
the  expense  not  only  of  the  labor  and  wear  on  the  apparatus,  but 
also  a  contingent  expense  which  has  already  been  paid  on  the 
work  to  be  done  as  well  as  on  that  finished.  If  the  committee 
will  examine  my  last  estimate,  they  will  see  that  the  whole  work 
was  estimated  at  eighty-five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  five 
dollars  thirty-four  cents.  This  sum  divided  by  eighty-seven 
thousand  and  thirty- five,  the  whole  number  of  feet,  gives  ninety- 
seven  cents  and  seven  mills,  as  the  estimated  cost  laid  in  the 
work.  This  estimate  they  will  observe,  is  accompanied  by  a 
proviso,  namely,  that  '  the  above  sum  is  undoubtedly  greater 
than  wrould  have  been  required  to  have  completed  the  work  with 
the  advantages  possessed  at  the  time  the  work  was  suspended, 
and  will  probably  effect  it  now,  provided  men  are  employed  who 
possess  equal  tact  and  zeal  with  those  who  commenced  the  work , 
and  who  will  render  their  service  for  the  same  compensation.' 

"  The  ninety-seven  cents  seven  mills  includes  the  contingent 
expense  of  twenty  cents  per  foot,  which  is  already  paid  and 
should  be  deducted,  which  will  leave  seventy-seven  cents  seven 
mills  for  the  cost  of  labor  and  wear  of  apparatus  per  foot,  in  the 
future  work  according  to  that  estimate  ;  but  since  that  estimate 
was  made  I  have  examined  the  state  of  things  and  think  it 
expedient  to  estimate  the  cost  per  foot  as  high  as  eighty-two 
cents  per  foot  for  reasons  before  stated. 

"  I  have  not  been  able  to  satisfy  myself  what  the  true  motives 
of  the  committee  were  in  estimating  the  cost  of  the  work  so  high. 
It  has  already  been  shown  that  the  expense  of  the  work  to  be 
done,  at  the  cost  of  that  which  is  already  executed,  would 
amount  to  less  than  $24,000.  The  committee  estimate  the  sum 
required  to  do  the  same  work  at  $42,922,  without  giving  any 
reasons,  except  that  they  consider  it  a  more  safe  estimate. — 


184  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

Now  if  these  gentlemen-mechanics  consider  it  dangerous  to  at 
tempt  to  execute  a  piece  of  work  as  low  as  it  has  already  been 
done,  by  l  lawyers  and  doctors,'  they  had  better  let  the  old  com 
mittee  finish  the  work,  as  it  would  be  an  immense  saving  to  the 
public  of  whom  they  beg  the  money. 

"  If  the  committee  want* the  money  for  any  other  purpose 
than  the  one  assigned,  it  discovers  a  duplicity  which,  I  appre 
hend,  will  not  be  wholly  agreeable  to  the  public.  For  my  own 
part  I  dislike  the  appearance  of  trick  and  deception  anywhere, 
and  in  the  present  case  in  particular,  I  think  a  strait  forward 
and  manly  course  would  be  the  best  policy.  To  represent  that 
more  money  is  wanted  than  is  actually  required  to  finish  the 
work,  I  think  is  bad  policy,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  discourage 
the  people  from  contributing,  —  and  to  leave  them  in  ignorance 
of  the  merits  of  the  transaction  is  still  worse.  I  apprehend  that 
not  one  in  ten  thousand  of  the  subscribers  to  the  funds  is  ac 
quainted  with  the  merits  of  the  case.  It  is  generally  thought 
that  much  has  been  spent  and  little  done.  The  reverse  is  actu 
ally  the  truth,  and  ought  to  have  been  explained  to  the  people 
before  they  were  solicited  a  second  time  for  money.  Had  this 
been  done,  I  have  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  they  would  have  con 
tributed  freely  and  to  any  amount  which  might  have  been 
wanted  to  complete  the  work. 

The  people  should  have  been  shown  what  is  actually  true, 
that  little  had  been  expended  and  much  performed,  and  that 
little  more  was  required ;  that  the  proposed  monument  was 
comparatively  a  small  work ;  that  the  association  possessed  at 
the  outset  every  natural  advantage  for  conducting  the  work  with 
economy  which  the  world  ever  afforded  and  that  these  advantages 
had  been  improved ;  that  the  executive  parts  had  been  in  the 
hands  of  competent  managers,  who  were  zealous,  a  fact  which  is 
further  shown  by  their  performing  the  service  gratuitously,  and 
by  the  value  of  the  work  delivered  for  the  sum  expended. 

"  I  have  always  disliked  the  plan  of  sending  to  foreign  places 
to  beg  subscriptions.  Everybody  knows  that  we  are  abundantly 


MEMOIR   OP    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  185 

able  to  complete  the  work  without  their  aid  were  we  so  disposed. 
To  send  to  France,  to  England,  and  to  the  Southern  cities,  when 
so  little  is  wanted,  seems  to  be  making  a  great  parade  about  a 
comparatively  small  matter,  and  appears  to  me  to  be  boring  our 
friends  in  those  places  unnecessarily*-;  'exposing  our  own  mean 
ness  and  disgracing  the  work  on  which  we  are  engaged."* 

Anxious  as  Mr.  Willard  was  to  have  the  monument  complet 
ed,  he  was  averse  to  anything  which  might  be  distorted  or  ex 
aggerated  into  the  appearance  of  deception,  and  was  equally 
unwilling  to  have  the  reputation  of  the  people  compromised  by 
asking  for  assistance  in  a  work  that  ought  to  have  been  promptly 
and  ungrudgingly  done, — as  he  had  done  his  share, — by  a  truly 
grateful  people.  Some  of  the  free  remarks  in  the  preceding 
letter  may  appear  to  need  the  extenuation  of  Mr.  Willard' 3 
peculiar  views  and  feelings  on  the  subject  to  justify  the  ut 
terance  of  them.  They  are  so  indicative  of  his  character  for 
independence,  self-reliance,  and  confidence  in  the  justice  of  the 
people,  that  we  have  not  thought  it  expedient  to  omit  or 
modify  them. 


*  This  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  William  Sullivan,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  first  appointed  on  the  movement  of  the  Mechanic 
Association,  in  July,  1833.  The  Executive  Committee  was  the  lineal  descend 
ant  of  the  Building  Committee,  as  that  was  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  1824. 


24 


186  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

EFFORT  OF   THE  MECHANIC  ASSOCIATION  —  SALE  OF  THE  LAND: 

1834  TO  1839. 


THE  vote  of  the  Directors  of  the  5th  of  May,  1834,  already 
mentioned,  authorized  the  Mechanic  Association  "to  proceed, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  this  corpo 
ration,  to  apply  any  money  which  they  have  collected,  or  may 
collect,  to  the  completion  of  the  monument,  by  raising  the  same 
to  the  elevation  of  159  feet  6  inches ;  and  that  they  commence 
the  work  on  the  seventeenth  of  June  next,  and  proceed  there 
with  as  speedily  as  may  be  done."  In  accordance  with  this 
specific  authority,  the  work  both  at  the  quarry  and  on  the  hill, 
was  commenced  without  any  public  formality,  under  the  direc 
tion  of  Mr.  Willard,  as  Superintendent.* 


*  The  anniversary  was  observed  as  customary  in  Charlestown  ;  but  on  the 
previous  year, —  notwithstanding  the  unfinished  state  of  the  structure, —  on  the 
24th  of  June,  1833,  a  Military  Review  took  place  on  the  hill,  intended  in  honor 
of  the  visit  of  Gen.  Jackson,  President  of  the  United  States,  who  was  expected 
on  the  17th.  The  Review  took  place  in  presence  of  Governor  Lincoln,  Secretary 
Woodbury  and  other  official  personages.  The  distinguished  gentlemen  present 
ascended  to  the  top  of  the  monument,  which  was  decorated  with  the  flags  of 
different  nations,  and  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  town  and  city  and  the  sur 
rounding  country.  The  President  did  not  arrive  in  season  for  the  seventeenth 
and  was  not  able  to  be  present  on  the  twenty-fourth  on  account  of  indisposition. 
On  Wednesday,  26th,  the  expected  visit  of  the  President,  accompanied  by 
Secretary  Cass  and  other  distinguished  gentlemen,  was  made,  and  they  were 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  187 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Monument  Association,  17th 
of  June,  after  the  presentation  of  the  usual  reports,  the  subject 
of  the  sale  of  the  land  was  introduced,  and  as  all  measures  for 
its  preservation  for  the  purposes  of  the  corporation  had  failed, 
the  Directors  were  again  authorized -^'  to  convey  in  fee  simple 
so  much  of  the  land  under  and  near  the  monument,  on  Bunker 
Hill,  in  Charlestown,  as  a  majority  of  them  shall  deem 
expedient."  The  land  had  already  been  partially  plotted  out 
by  Mr.  Willard,  with  the  streets  as  then  proposed. 

Mr.  William  Prescott  was  re-elected  President ;  J.  T.  Buck 
ingham,  President  of  the  Mechanic  Association,  first  Vice  Pre 
sident  ;  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board,  thereafter,  the 
following  gentlemen  were  named  as  the  Executive  Committee  : 
J.  T.  Buckingham,  William  Sullivan,  Geo.  Darracott,  Nathaniel 
Hammond,  John  Skinner,  Ebenezer  Breed,  William  W.  Stone, 
J.  P.  Thorndike,  and  Joseph  Jenkins.  Votes  were  passed  em 
powering  this  Committee  to  sell  and  convey  the  land  with  or 
without  conditions  of  reconveyance,  and  to  mortgage  "all  the 
machinery,  tools,  implements  and  personal  property  belonging  to 
this  corporation,"  in  security  for  the  payment  of  a  note  or  notes 
to  be  signed  by  the  Treasurer,  for  $5,133  68,  being  the  amount 
of  interest  due  on  the  debt  of  the  corporation,  —  provided  that 


received  in  an  enthusiastic  manner  by  the  people  and  the  military  of  the  town. 
A  brief  and  beautiful  address  of  welcome  was  made  to  him  by  Mr.  Edward 
Everett,  then  a  resident  of  Charlestown,  who  referred  to  the  monument  in  the 
following  language  :  "To  designate  in  all  coming  time,  the  place  of  the  first  of 
these  eventful  contests,  the  gratitude  of  this  generation  is  raising  a  majestic 
monument  on  the  sacred  spot.  We  invite  you,  sir,  to  ascend  it,  and  behold 
from  its  elevation,  a  lovely  scene  of  town  and  country,  —  a  specimen  not  unfa 
vorable  of  this  portion  of  the  great  Republic  whose  interests  have  been  confided 
to  your  care,  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  United  States."  The  accounts  in  the 
papers  of  the  day  say  "  The  President  expressed  a  desire  to  ascend  the  monu 
ment  and  could  not  be  dissuaded  from  the  gratification  of  his  wish. ' ' 

In  November,  the  same  year,  Henry  Clay,  the  distinguished  Statesman  of 
Kentucky,  visited  the  monument,  which  had  already  become  an  object  of  public 
interest,  and  it  fell  happily  to  the  fortune  of  Mr.  Everett  to  welcome  him  also 
to  the  "sacred  spot." 


188  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

the  Mechanic  Association  shall  have  the  free  use  of  said  prop 
erty  so  long  as  they  continue  in  the  building  of  the  monument. 
This  was  a  distasteful  proceeding  to  Mr.  Willard ;  but  it  should 
be  stated  that  the  debt  was  paid  without  any  resort  to  the 
power  contained  in  the  mortgage. 

On  the  llth  of  June,  the  Mechanic  Association  appointed  as 
a  Building  Committee,  the  following  gentlemen,  viz. :  Charles 
Wells,  John  P.  Thorndike,  George  Darracott,  Charles  Leigh- 
ton  and .  This  blank  is  left  by  Mr.  Buckingham.  * 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1840,  when  the  contract  for  finishing 
the  monument  was  made,  the  above-named  gentlemen  were  ap 
pointed  the  Building  Committee  on  the  part  of  the  Monument 
Association,  and  they  were  continued  in  office  until  the  whole 
work  was  completed  in  1845. 

"  The  Building  Committee,  immediately  after  their  appoint 
ment,  engaged  Solomon  Willard,  whose  devotedness  to  the  mon 
ument  for  several  years,  had  been  well  known,  to  superintend 
the  work.  Under  his  direction  workmen  were  engaged  in  quar 
rying  and  dressing  stone.  The  amount  drawn  from  the  treasury 
for  quarrying,  hammering  and  transporting  stone  from  Quincy 
to  the  monument,  for  new  implements  and  repair  of  old  ones, 
for  lumber,  and  for  the  superintendent's  salary,  from  June  17, 
when  the  work  was  begun,  to  December  31,  was  $4,379. "f 

The  whole  amount  collected  at  the  end  of  this  year,  by  the 
Mechanic  Association,  was  $13,978  04.  The  amount  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars  not  having  been  subscribed,  a  large  portion 
of  the  subscriptions  failed  by  reason  of  non-performance  of  that 
condition.  As  some  additions  were  afterwards  made  to  the 
fund,  the  whole  amount  contributed  was  $19, 073  03;  to 
which  the  "  Ladies'  Fund"  was  added,  making  the  aggregate, 
$22,010  93.  According  to  Mr.  Willard's  statement  the  sum  of 


*  Annals  of  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic  Association,     f  Ibid. 


MEMOIR     01'    SoI.oMnX    WILLA11I). 


),421  77,  was  expended  upon  the  work,  up  to  January, 
1836  —  of  the  balance  the  sum  of  $852  66  was  applied  to  con 
tingent  expenses,  and  §786  50  invested  in  stocks.  The  result, 
like  the  preceding  effort  of  the  ladies,  was  declared  to  be  "  not 
equal  to  justifiable  expectation."  *.  ** 

In  1885,  Mr.  Prescott  was  re-elected  President  ;  Stephen 
Fairbanks,  President  of  the  Mechanic  Association,  first  Vice 
President  ;  and  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  last  year,  with 
only  one  change,  was  re-appointed.  In  1836  and  the  following 
years  to  1839,  J.  T.  Buckingham  was  elected  President,  and 
various  proceedings  were  had  relative  to  the  land  and  the  debt, 
and  various  suggestions  made  for  raising  the  money  to  complete 
the  monument,  but  nothing  was  accomplished,  in  respect  to 
either  matter,  until  September  of  the  last  named  year,  when  the 
land  was  finally  sold. 

In  September,  1838,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Nathan  Hale,  a  com 
mittee  was  appointed  "  to  visit  Bunker  Hill  and  after  an  exami 
nation  of  the  ground,  to  report  to  the  Directors  whether  in  their 
opinion  it  is  expedient  to  attempt  to  raise  the  money  for  the 
re-purchase  of  the  whole  of  the  land  formerly  belonging  to  the 
association,  or  any  part  thereof,  and  in  case  they  should  recom 
mend  a  re-purchase  of  the  .whole,  or  any  part  of  said  land,  to 
propose  what  measures  shall  be  adopted  by  ihe  Directors  for 
raising  the  money  for  the  purpose  and  for  completing  the  build 
ing  of  the  monument." 

Quite  promptly,  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  Mr.  Hale 
made  his  report  to  the  Directors.  After  rehearsing  the  state 
ment  of  the  original  purchase  of  the  land,  its  hypothecation  and 
sale,  the  reservation  of  the  square  and  streets,  the  committee 
"  recommend  that  the  proprietors  of  the  land  be  notified  that  no 
further  effort  will  be  made  to  re-purchase  it.  ...  They 
further  recommend  that  an  effort  be  made  without  delay  to  raise 
by  subscription  a  sufficient  sum  to  complete  the  monument.  - 

The  charge  of  the  work  still  remains  entrusted  to 
the  Mechanic   Association,    who  are  ready  again  to  lend  their 


190  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

efficient  aid  to  its  advancement ;  the  attention  of  the  public  has 
been  frequently  called  to  the  importance  of  putting  a  finishing 
hand  to  the  undertaking  ;  a  comparatively  small  portion  of  the 
work  remains  to  be  coinpleted  ;  the  massive  foundations  of  the 
stately  obelisk  are  laid  and  it  is  already  raised  to  the  height  of 
eighty-two  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  —  its  size  and 
consequently  its  cost  diminishes  as  its  height  advances.  It  is 
computed  by  the  architect  that,  exclusive  of  the  cost  of  the  land 
and  of  other  preparatory  expenses,  the  part  of  the  work  already 
completed,  including  stone  quarried  and  not  laid,  is  equal  to 
two-thirds  of  the  building  the  whole  monument  to  the  height 
originally  proposed  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  One  third 
therefore  of  the  monument  remains  to  be  completed,  supposing 
it  to  be  carried  to  the  greatest  proposed  height." 

This  report  having  been  accepted  by  the  Directors,  at  their 
meeting  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  September,  settled  the  question 
of  the  disposition  of  the  land.  It  also  fixed  definitely  the  height 
to  which  the  monument  had  been  carried  by  the  architect,  with 
the  aid  of  the  Mechanic  Association.  The  Directors  immediately 
determined  to  make  a  new  effort  to  complete  the  monument,  by 
soliciting  subscriptions  from  individuals  and  societies  for  the 
purpose  —  but  nothing  was  accomplished.  The  plan  of  the 
square  and  streets,  suggested  by  Mr.  Willard,  was  adopted  :— 
One  hundred  and  fifteen  building  lots  wrere  laid  out  around  the 
square,  on  a  reduced  grade,  comprising  317,654  feet,  and  the 
following  year,  September  25,  1839,  were  sold  by  public  auc 
tion,  producing  in  the  aggregate  the  sum  of  $48,435  06.  The 
Trustees,*  under  whose  direction  the  land  was  sold,  subsequently 
contributed  five  hundred  dollars  each  towards  the  completion  of 
the  monument. 


Thomas  B.  Wales,  William  W.  Stone,  and  N.  I.  Bowditch. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARP.  191 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

NEW    EFFORTS    FOR    COMPLETING    THE   MONUMENT  —  THE 

LADIES'  FAIR  — 1840  TO  1843. 


FIVE  years  had  elapsed  since  the  solicitations  of  the  Mechanic 
Association  in  behalf  of  the  monument,  and  it  began  to  be  felt 
that  the  unfinished  condition  of  the  work  might  compromise  the 
character  of  the  people  who  had  commenced  it,  fifteen  years  be 
fore,  with  such  an  outburst  of  popular  enthusiasm.  Their  sin 
cerity,  their  sense  of  justice  and  their  appreciation  of  the  services 
of  the  fathers  of  the  revolution,  might  be  called  in  question  ; 
and  the  gratitude  which  had  been  professed,  the  expression  of 
which  it  was  proposed  to  make  permanent,  was  almost  sure  to 
be  misunderstood.  The  whole  community  was  in  a  false  posi 
tion,  and  it  became  absolutely  necessary  that  the  work  should 
be  finished.  The  delays  which  had  occurred,  —  erroneously 
explained  or  injuriously  accounted  for,  —  had  given  rise  to  a 
prejudice  against  the  .work  or  the  managers,  and  had  cooled  the 
interest  and  checked  the  zeal  of  some  of  its  friends.  Appeals 
that  were  made  in  its  behalf,  however  eloquent  or  forcible, 
seemed  to  fall  unheeded  to  the  ground. 

Mr.  Willard,  — who  was  personally  as  well  as  publicly  inter 
ested  in  the  completion  of  the  monument,  —  some  years  before 
made  an  attempt  to  disabuse  the  general  mind  in  regard  to  the 
cost  of  the  work,  in  the  hope  of  promoting  subscriptions  to  it,  — 
but  the  public  at  this  time  were  not  to  be  moved  by  reason  or 


192  MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

rhetoric,  and  his  effort  was  unavailing.  During  the  delay,  Mr. 
Willard  had  engaged  in  other  work,  and  one  of  the  objects 
long  had  in  view  by  him. — the  introduction  of  granite  as  a 
building  material.  —  was  partially  accomplished  :  but  he  was 
ready  to  make  any  sacrifice,  or  give  up  any  other  thing,  in 
order  to  the  completion  of  that  which  had  occupied  so  much 
of  his  attention  arid  for  which  he  had  labored  so  assiduously, 
always  in  the  hope  of  seeing  it  finished.  He  promptly  answered 
all  inquiries  made  of  him  and  furnished  estimates  of  cost  on 
various  plans,  favoring  with  his  own  approval  only  those  which 
looked  to  a  completion  of  the  obelisk  according  to  his  original 
design.  As  an  artist,  and  especially  as  architect,  he  could  favor 
no  other  plan,  and  would  not  regard  the  work  as  finished  until 
that  was  accomplished. 

Mr.  Amos  Lawrence,  who  was  always  so  desirous  to  retain 
the  whole  field,  and  at  one  time  provided  for  it  in  his  Will, 
was  very  anxious  that  an  effort  should  be  made  to  complete  the 
monument,  and  offered  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  association 
towards  that  purpose.  A  similar  sum  was  also  offered  by  Mr. 
Judah  Touro.  of  New  Orleans. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  seventeenth  of  June,  1840,  a  vote 
was  passed  authorizing  the  President,  J.  T.  Buckingham,  and 
the  Secretary.  G.  Washington  Warren,  "with  such  other  mem 
bers  of  the  corporation  as  may  be  willing  to  cooperate  with 
them  in  the  effort,  ...  to  solicit  and  receive  subscriptions 
and  obtain  sums  by  FSirs  or  other  projects,  in  aid  of  the  com 
pletion  of  the  great  object  of  the  corporation,  and  that  these 
gentlemen  have  power  to  adopt  such  measures  as  they  may  deem 
expedient  in  making  this  final  appeal  to  the  public." 

In  five  weeks  from  this  time,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  July,  the 
President  "reported  to  the  Board  that  under  the  authority  of 
the  vote  passed  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Board,  a  large  com 
mittee  had  associated  themselves  with  him  and  the  Secretary, 
and  that  extensive  arrangements  were  made  to  hold  a  '  FAIR' 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  193 

during  the  second  week  in  September  next,  and  to  adopt  other 
necessary  measures  for  the  completion  of  the  monument." 

At  this  meeting  also,  a  vote  was  passed  ignoring  the  proposi 
tion  brought  forward  by  the  Mechanic  Association,  of  reducing 
the  height  of  the  monument  to  159*fee*t  6  inches,  as  follows  :  — 
"That  Messrs.  Charles  Wells,  George  Darracott  and  John  P. 
Thorndike,  be  a  committee  authorized  to  receive  proposals  for 
finishing  the  Monument  on  Bunker  Hill,  agreeably  to  the  plan 
adopted  by  the  corporation."  Subsequently  the  vote  of  the  5th 
of  May,  1834,  on  this  subject,  was  formally  reconsidered,  in 
order  that  the  original  vote  might  ba  restored,  and  Mr.  Charles 
Leighton  was  added  to  the  above  committee. 

On  the  seventh  of  September,  Mr.  Wells  reported  several 
propositions  for  the  completion  of  the  monument,  but  upon  open 
ing  them  it  appeared  that  they  "  were  given  on  different  bases 
and  data,"  and  it  was  thereupon  voted,  "  that  the  several  pro 
posals  for  finishing  the  monument  be  again  referred  to  the  same 
committee,  who  are  hereby  requested  to  obtain  of  Mr.  Solomon 
Willard  a  plan  for  finishing  the  top  of  the  monument,  and  to 
receive  estimates  for  finishing  the  top  according  to  the  plan 
which  may  be  adopted  by  them."  On  the  ninth  of  October, 
Mr.  Wells  submitted  the  plan  of  the  top  of  the  monument,  as 
drawn  by  Mr.  Willard  and  approved  by  the  committee.  The 
proposals  were  then  opened  and  read,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
offer  made  by  Mr.  James  S.  Savage,  was  by  far  the  lowest.  He 
proposed  to  complete  the  monument  according  to  the  original 
design,  to  cover  it  according  to  the  plan  presented,  to  protect  it 
with  suitable  lightning  conductors,  and  to  pay  Mr.  Willard  for 
superintending  the  work,  for  the  sum  of  forty-three  thousand 
eight  hundred  dollars.  Mr.'  Savage,  who  was  first  employed  by 
Mr.  Willard,  under  a  special  contract,  had  been  engaged  on  the 
work  all  the  time  during  its  progress,  and  was  altogether  the 
most  suitable  person,  next  to  Mr.  Willard,  to  continue  and 
complete  it.  The  same  committee  were  thereupon  authorized 
' '  to  contract  with  Mr.  Savage  on  the  basis  of  his  offer,  .  .  . 
25 


194  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

whenever  they  shall  have  ascertained  that  the  corporation  have 
the  means  to  enable  them  to  fulfil  the  contract."  A  vote  was 
also  passed  in  reference  to  an  iron  fence  around  the  monument 
and  the  grading  of  the  square,  under  the  direction  of  the  archi 
tect.  On  the  fourth  of  November,  the  contract  with  Mr.  Sav 
age  was  completed,  although  the  Directors  were  not  officially 
informed  of  the  result  of  the  Fair  which  had  been  held. 

It  is  known  that  Mr.  Willard  was  not  in  favor  of  this  method 
of  completing  the  work  on  the  monument,  but  preferred  that 
which  had  been  pursued  under  his  superintendence,  and  which 
as  the  result  showed,  would  have  cost  much  less  money.  In  this, 
however,  as  in  matters  similarly  situated,  Mr.  Willard  content 
ed  himself  with  the  expression  of  his  opinion  when  it  was  re 
quested.  After  the  contract  was  made  with  Mr.  Savage  he  had 
nothing  further  to  say,  whatever  his  feelings  may  have  been  : 
his  great  desire  was  to  have  the  monument  completed,  and  no 
objections  to  any  particular  plan  which  he  might  have,  would 
induce  him  to  throw  any  obstacles  in  the  way  of  that  paramount 
object.  Mr.  Willard  was  urged  by  some  of  his  most  influential 
friends  to  contract  for  the  work  himself,  as  a  profitable  enter 
prise,  (and  so  it  proved  to  be,)  but  with  his  views  and  feelings 
as  to  the  character  of  the  work,  no  such  considerations  could 
ever  have  induced  him  to  undertake  it,  —  and  we  believe  he  did 
not  appropriate  to  his  own  use  any  portion  of  the  pay  received 
from  Mr.  Savage,  beyond  his  personal  expenses.  The  truth 
unquestionably  is  that  Mr.  Willard  should  have  been  allowed  to 
complete  his  work  in  his  own  way,  when  that  way  had  proved 
undeniably  advantageous.  He  felt  this  but  would  not  ask  it  — 
he  was  mistaken  in  supposing  that  Right  would  be  done  with 
out  any  effort  on  his  part. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  November,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  report  of  Catharine  G.  Prescott,  Sarah  J. 
Hale,  Lucinda  Chapman,  Susan  P.  Warren,  Sarah  Darracott, 
and  Abby  L.  Wales,  Executive  Committee  of  the  Ladies'  Fair, 
and  the  report  of  Mary  Otis,  Treasurer,  were  received  and  read. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  105 

The  net  proceeds  of  the  Fair  amounted  to  $30.035  53.  In 
concluding  their  report  the  ladies  say,  "  Having  done  what  we 
could,  it  only  remains  for  us  to  hope  that  our  days  may  yet  see 
the  completion  of  the  monument  which  shall  stand  to  tell  of 
our  fathers  to  coming  generations*-"^  Suitable  resolutions  of 
acknowledgment  and  thanks  to  the  ladies  were  passed  by  the 
Directors,  one  of  which  we  copy,  as  a  comprehensive  and  well- 
deserved  compliment  to  the  sex  : 

u  Resolved,  That  while  as  Directors  of  a  corporate  body  we 
thus  in  a  formal  manner  express  our  gratitude,  we  cannot  with 
hold  the  declaration  that  in  our  opinion  all  those  who  are  living 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  a  free  government,  and  of 
its  civil,  literary  and  religious  institutions  ;  all  who  cherish  the 
sentiments  of  the  heroes  and  patriots  of  the  revolution ;  all  who 
reverence  the  memories  of  those  that  suffered  in  defence  of  the 
principles  of  liberty ;  all,  in  fine,  who  admire  patriotism  in  its 
most  attractive  form,  and  love  virtue  in  its  holiest  and  most 
beautiful  manifestation, — will  admire,  will  applaud,  and  will 
reverence  the  deed  herein  recorded,  the  motive  by  which  it  was 
dictated  and  the  agents  by  whom  it  was  accomplished." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Directors,  on  the  fourteenth  of  Janu 
ary,  1841,  suitable  resolutions  of  thanks  and  respect  were  passed 
to  Messrs.  Amos  Lawrence  and  Judah  Touro,  for  their  liberal 
donations  for  the  completion  of  the  monument.  During  the 
progress  of  the  work,  in  July,  1842,  a  meeting  of  the  Directors 
was  called  "at  the  suggestion  of  several  members,  in  conse 
quence  of  a  desire  expressed  by  many  individuals  that  an  alter 
ation  should  be  made  in  the  mode  of.  finishing  the  top  of  the 
monument,  so  that  visitors  might  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  roof, 
or  covering,  by  means  of  a  balustrade.  After  a  full  discussion 
it  was  voted  unanimously,  as  the,  sense  of  this  Board,  that 
the  monument  be  finished  in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  Mr. 
Willard,  the  architect."  One  of  the  most  satisfactory  features 


196  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

in  the  history  of  this  great  work  is  the  consistent  adherence  of 
the  Building  Committee  and  Directors  to  the  design  made  by 
Mr.  "VYillard  and  deliberately  adopted. 

On  the  twenty-third  day  of  the  same  month,  the  cap-stone 
was  placed  upon  the  monument.  The  occasion  is  mentioned  in 
the  records  briefly  as  follows  :  "  On  Saturday,  July  28d,  1842, 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  pursuant  to  public  notice,  the 
Directors  and  several  hundred  citizens  assembled  on  Bunker 
Hill  to  witness  the  laying  on  of  the  top  stone  upon  the  monu 
ment.  As  the  clock  struck  six,  a  signal-gun  was  fired  by  the 
members  of  the  Gharlestown  Artillery,  and  the  cap-stone,  which 
had  been  previously  adjusted  to  the  hoisting  apparatus  connect 
ed  with  the  steam-engine,  began  to  ascend.  It  was  surmounted 
by  the  American  flag.  In  sixteen  minutes  the  cap-stone  reach 
ed  the  place  of  its  destination  on  the  top  of  the  monument.  At 
half  past  six  it  was  embedded  in  cement  and  a  national  salute, 
fired  by  the  Charlestown  Artillery,  announced  the  complete 
erection  of  the  monument."  The  weight  of  this  single  stone 
was  stated  to  be  about  two  and  a  half  tons. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  197 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


CELEBRATION  OF  THE  COMPLETION  OF  THE  MONUMENT  —  1843. 


THE  celebration  of  the  completion  of  the  monument  was 
deferred  to  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  in  1843,  when  Mr. 
Webster  delivered  his  second  great  oration  on  the  same  inspiring 
spot,  and  to  some  extent  before  the  same  audience.  It  was 
eighteen  years  from  the  commencement  of  the  work,  and  sixty- 
eight  years  from  the  day  of  the  battle  and  the  burning  of  the 
town.  A  new  town  had  arisen  from  the  ashes  of  the  old,  and 
the  majestic  monument  now  towered  over  a  compact,  thriving 
and  intelligent  population.  Many  of  the  heroes  of  that  dark 
day,  who  had  lived  to  see  the  commencement  of  the  monument, 
had  since  then  paid  the  debt  of  nature  and  fallen  into  peaceful 
and  honored  graves.  There  was  no  Lafayette  now  to  call  forth, 
by  his  living  presence,  the  gratitude  and  patriotism  of  the  people. 
He  had  died  in  May,  1834  ;  but  a  few  of  his  compatriots  in 
arms  still  lived  as  the  connecting  link  between  the  past  and 
present  times,  and  were  again  at  the  national  altar  of  liberty  to 
dignify  and  honor  the  occasion.  The  patriotic  feelings  of  the 
people  were  awakened  anew,  and  as  a  mere  display,  the  occasion 
excelled  the  great  demonstration  of  1825.  Owing  to  the  facili 
ties  afforded  for  travel  by  the  recent  introduction  of  railroads, 
many  thousands  of  people  were  present,  some  of  whom  came 
long  distances.  The  newspapers  of  New  York  urged  the  patri 
otic  sons  of  New  England,  in  that  city,  to  attend  the  celebra- 


198  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

tion  by  informing  them  that  they  could  leave  the  city  on  the 
evening  of  the  sixteenth,  attend  the  celebration  on  the  seven 
teenth,  and  be  in  that  city  again  the  next  morning,  —  thus 
losing  only  one  day  from  business.  The  same  facilities  were 
afforded  in  other  directions. 

Among  the  many  distinguished  persons  present  by  invitation 
of  the  government  of  the  Monument  Association,  were  the  Pre 
sident  of  the  United  States,  John  Tyler,  and  his  Secretaries 
and  Post  Master  General.*  The  Military  Escort  consisted  of 
four  brigades  of  the  volunteer  militia,  (including  four  companies 
of  the  New  York  National  Guards,)  under  Major  General  Ap- 
pleton  Howe,  and  the  Civic  Procession  was  formed  in  four  grand 
divisions.  There  were  in  carriages  one  hundred  and  ten  of  the 
survivors  of  the  revolutionary  war,  one  of  whom  was  at  Lexing 
ton  and  Concord,  on  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1775,  and  at  Bun 
ker  Hill,  on  the  seventeenth  of  June.f  The  Mechanic  Associa 
tion,  King  Solomon's  Lodge  of  Charlestown  and  the  Masonic 
fraternity  generally,  and  numerous  other  bodies  and  associations, 
joined  in  the  procession. 

The  various  bodies  assembled  at  an  early  hour  in  the  forenoon 
on  and  near  the  Common,  and  taking  up  the  honored  guests  of 
the  association  at  the  State  House,  moved  from  that  point  at 
eleven  o'clock  to  the  hill.  Such  crowds  of  people  as  lined  the 
streets  and  filled  the  houses,  on  the  route  of  the  procession,  have 
rarely  been  seen  in  Boston.  The  arrangements  were  admirable, 


*  Hon.  Hugh  S.  Legare,  of  South  Carolina,  Attorney  General  and  Secre 
tary  of  State,  ad  interim,  was  unable  to  attend  the  celebration,  although  in 
Boston  for  that  purpose,  by  reason  of  sickness  of  which  he  died  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th.  He  was  buried  at  Mount  Auburn. 

t  Phineas  Johnson,  aged  97  years,  the  oldest  man  present.  Captain  Josiah 
Cleaveland,  who  came  from  Owego,  N.  Y.,  to  attend  the  celebration,  died  at 
Charlestown,  on  the  30th  of  June,  aged  83  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Canter 
bury,  Conn.,  and  a  volunteer  under  Colonel  Putnam.  He  continued  in  service 
through  the  war  and  was  in  several  great  battles  and  at  the  capture  of  Corn- 
wallis.  He  was  buried  at  Mount  Auburn,  with  military  honors,  and  a  monu 
ment  was  erected  over  his  grave. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  199 

and  so  well  conducted  that,  on  reaching  the  hill,  no  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  establishing  the  whole  body  of  the  procession 
on  the  easterly  slope  around  the  orator's  stand ;  and  the  great 
audience,  disposed  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  was  hemmed- 
in  on  all  sides  by  the  vast  multitude,  jyho  had  come  up,  as  it 
were,  to  this  Mecca  of  American  Liberty,  in  patriotic  worship. 
The  President. of  the  United  States  and  his  Secretaries,  the  ven 
erable  survivors  of  the  Revolution,  the  many  distinguished  per 
sons  present,  and  the  government  of  the  association,  were  seated 
around  the  orator  on  the  platform,  and  inspired  while  they 
listened  to  the  thrilling  eloquence  which  fell  in  such  Doric 
beauty  from  the  speaker's  lips. 

Mr.  Webster  commenced  his  oration  in  the  most  stately  man 
ner,  cool  and  unimpassioned  as  a  statue  :  ' :  A  duty  has  been 
performed.  A  work  of  gratitude  and  patriotism  is  completed." 
-.  .  .  Stating  the  peculiar  circumstance  that  the  projectors 
of  the  work  had  relied  upon  voluntary  contributions  for  its  con 
struction  and  had  not  been  disappointed,  he  next  referred  to 
the  labors  of  the  directors  and  committees  of  the  association,  and 
spoke  of  the  architect  as  follows  :  "  The  architect,  equally  enti 
tled  to  our  thanks  and  commendation,  will  find  other  reward 
also,  for  his  labor  and  skill,  in  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the 
obelisk  itself,  and  the  distinction,  which,  as  a  work  of  art,  it 
confers  on  him."  After  mentioning  the  effort  and  services  of  the 
Mechanic  Association  towards  the  completion  of  the  work,  he 
spoke  of  the  crowning  labors  of  the  ladies  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  last  effort  and  the  last  contribution  were  from  a  differ 
ent  source.  Garlands  of  grace  and  elegance  were  destined  to 
crown  a  work  which  had  its  commencement  in  manly  patriotism. 
The  winning  power  of  the  sex  addressed  itself  to  the  public,  and 
all  that  was  needed  to  carry  the  monument  to  its  proposed 
height,  and  give  to  it  its  finish,  was  promptly  supplied.  The 
mothers  and  the  daughters  of  the  land  contributed  thus,  most 
successfully  to  whatever  of  beauty  is  in  the  obelisk  itself,  or 


200  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

whatever  of  utility  and  public  benefit  and  gratification  in  its 
completion." 

We  quote  some  further  portions  of  this  splendid  oration, 
although  it  is  accessible  to  the  reader  in  other  forms.  These 
relate  so  distinctly  to  the  monument  itself  and  its  high  purposes, 
that  they  will  not  be  deemed  out  of  place  in  this  connection,  and 
the  oftener  they  are  presented  to  the  people,  read  and  pondered 
by  them,  the  better  vvill  it  be  for  the  country  and  ::all  succeed 
ing  generations' '  :  — 

"  The  Bunker  Hill  Monument  is  finished.  Here  it  stands. 
Fortunate  in  the  natural  eminence  on  which  it  is  placed  — 
higher,  infinitely  higher  in  its  objects  and  purpose,  it  rises  over 
the  land,  and  over  the  sea,  and  visible,  at  their  homes,  to  three 
hundred  thousand  citizens  of  Massachusetts  —  it  stacds  a  memo 
rial  of  the  last,  and  a  monitor  to  the  present  and  all  succeeding 
generations.  I  have  spoken  of  the  loftiness  of  it  purpose  :  If  it 
had  been  without  any  other  design  than  the  creation  of  a  work 
of  art,  the  granite  of  which  it  is  composed,  would  have  slept  in 
its  native  bed.  It  has  a  purpose ;  and  that  purpose  gives  it 
character.  That  purpose  enrobes  it  with  dignity  and  moral 
grandeur.  That  well-known  purpose  it  is,  which  causes  us  to 
look  up  to  it  with  a  feeling  of  awe.  It  is  itself  the  orator  of  this 
occasion ;  it  is  not  from  my  lips,  it  is  not  from  any  human  lip?, 
that  that  strain  of  eloquence  is  this  day  to  flow,  most  competent 
to  move  and  excite  the  vast  multitudes  around.  The  potent 
speaker  stands  motionless  before  them.  It  is  a  plain  shaft.  It 
bears  no  inscriptions,  fronting  to  the  rising  sun,  from  which  the 
future  antiquarian  shall  wipe  the  dust.  Nor  does  the  rising 
sun  cause  tones  of  music  to  issue  from  its  summit.  But  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun,  and  at  the  setting  of  the  sun,  in  the  blaze  of 
noonday,  and  beneath  the  milder  effulgence  of  lunar  light,  it 
looks,  it  speaks,  it  acts,  to  the  full  comprehension  of  every 
American  mind,  and  the  awakening  of  glowing  enthusiasm  in 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  201 

every  American  heart.  Its  silent,  but  awful  utterance ;  its  deep 
pathos,  as  it  brings  to  our  contemplation  the  seventeenth  of  June, 
1775,  and  the  consequences  which  have  resulted  to  us,  to  our 
country,  and  to  the  world,  from  the  events  of  that  day,  and 
which  we  know  must  continue  to  rain  influence  on  the  destinies 
of  mankind,  to  the  end  of  time ;  the  elevation  with  which  it 
raises  us  high  above  the  ordinary  feelings  of  life,  surpasses  all 
that  the  study  of  the  closet,  or  even  the  inspiration  of  genius 
can  produce.  To-day  it  speaks  to  us.  Its  future  auditories 
will  be  through  successive  generations  of  men,  as  they  rise  up 
before  it,  and  gather  round  it.  Its  speech  will  be  of  patriotism 
and  courage ;  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  •  of  free  govern 
ment  ;  of  the  moral  improvement  and  elevation  of  mankind ; 
and  of  the  immortal  memory  of  those  who,  with  heroic  devotion, 
have  sacrificed  their  lives  for  their  country." 

There  seems  to  be  something  more  than  mere  foresight  in 
the  following  burst  of  eloquence  upon  the  theme  of  the  "Union," 
in  which  is  included  that  voluminous  sentence,  so  often  quoted, 
which  we  have  put  in  italics  :  — 

"  Woe  betide  the  man  who  brings  to  this  day's  worship  feel 
ing  less  than  wholly  American  !  Woe  betide  the  man  who  can 
stand  here  with  the  fires  of  local  resentments  burning,  or  the 
purpose  of  fomenting  local  jealousies,  and  the  strifes  of  local 
interests  festering  and  rankling  in  his  heart.  Union,  founded 
in  justice,  in  patriotism,  and  the  most  plain  and  obvious  common 
interest ;  Union,  founded  on  the  same  love  of  liberty,  cemented 
by  blood  shed  in  the  same  cause ;  Union  has  been  the  source  of 
all  our  glory  and  greatness  thus  far,  and  is  the  ground  of  all 
our  highest  hopes.  This  Column  stands  on  Union.  I  know 
not  that  it  might  not  keep  its  position,  if  the  American  Union, 
in  the  mad  conflict  of  human  passions,  and  in  the  strife  of  par 
ties  and  factions,  should  be  broken  up  and  destroyed.  I  know 
not  that  it  would  totter  and  fall  to  the  earth,  and  mingle  its 
26 


202  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

fragments  with  the  fragments  of  Liberty  and  the  Constitution, 
when  State  should  be  separated  from  State,  and  faction  and 
dismemberment  obliterate  forever  all  the  hopes  of  the  founders 
of  our  Republic,  and  the  great  inheritance  of  their  children.  — 
It  might  stand.  But  who,  from  beneath  the  weight  of  mortifi 
cation  and  shame,  that  would  oppress  him,  could  look  up  to 
behold  it  ?  For  my  part,"  should  I  live  to  such  a  time,  I  shall 
avert  my  eyes  from  it  forever/' 

Happily  the  noble-hearted  orator  did  not  live  to  witness  that 
attempted  dismemberment  which  he  so  feelingly  deprecated  ! 

This  profound  and  patriotic  oration  will  live  as  long  as  the 
language  in  which  it  is  writtens  and  will  form  a  prominent 
chapter  in  the  history  of  the  growth  of  races  and  nations.  — 
It  seems  tame  to  turn  from  its  study  and  the  contemplation  of 
thoughts  which  its  perusal  inspires  to  other  incidents  of  the  day, 
however  pleasant  these  may  be.  The  celebration  was  concluded 
by  a  grand  festival  in  Faneuil  Hall,  at  which  were  present  all 
the  distinguished  guests  of  the  association,  except  its  modest 
and  retiring  architect,  whose  absence  was  regretted  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  unwillingness  to  be  noticed  or  made  prominent 
in  such  an  assemblage,  we  have  no  doubt,  kept  him  from 
participating  in  the  general  joy  of  the  occasion.  He  never 
submitted  to  the  trial  of  hearing  himself  or  his  works  com 
mended  before  the  public  ;  and  probably  did  not  hear  the  com 
plimentary  words  of  the  orator  upon  his  finished  work. 

The  President  and  the  members  of  his  Cabinet  were  present 
at  the  festival,  and  responded  to  the  calls  of  the  chairman.  The 
occasion,  of  course,  was  not  political,  and  patriotic  toasts  only 
were  proposed.  The  President  gave  "  The  Union :  Union  of 
purpose  ;  Union  of  feeling ;  the  Union  established  by  our  fath 
ers."  The  States  of  Virginia  and  Massachusetts  were  coupled 
in  a  toast  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  the  States  of  South 
Carolina  and  Massachusetts  in  another  by  a  gentleman  of  Bos 
ton.  The  Monument,  the  Orator,  and  the  Ladies,  were  the 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  203 

subjects  of  other  sentiments.  That  referring  to  the  Monument 
was  as  follows  :  "  The  Bunker  Hill  Monument —  It  bears  no 
inscription,  and  it  needs  none,  since  the  lessons  of  patriotism  it 
is  designed  to  commemorate,  can  only  be  inscribed  upon  the 
hearts  of  those  who  behold  it."  r'1* 

Excepting  the  reference  made  to  the  architect  by  Mr.  Web 
ster,  we  are  not  aware  that  any  allusion  was  made  to  him  or  his 
valuable  and  efficient  services,  during  the  day  ;  but  this  was  not 
a  thing  to  disturb  him.  He  felt  sure  that  justice  would  be 
done  to  him  in  the  future,  and  within  three  years  from  this  time, 
one  who  knew  him  better  than  any  of  his  associates  and  more  of 
his  devotion  and  labor  in  behalf  of  the  monument,  penned  a 
brief  record  of  his  judgment  in  the  following  words  :  — 

"  But  the  work  is  done,  and  posterity  ought  to  know  that 
they  are  more  indebted  to  Sol0.  Willard  than  to  any  other 
person,  for  the  monument.*  It  was  by  his  labors  and  taste  that 
the  plan  was  adopted  and  the  stone  quarry  secured ;  the  work 
done  in  a  style  that  will  be  approved  by  generations  to  come. 
Let  us  render,  then,  to  Mr.  Willard,  the  honor  that  belongs 
to  him.  AMOS  LAWRENCE." 

"  Boston,  March  18,  1846." 

If  it  was  a  happy  day  to  anybody,  that  was  a  happy  day  to 
Mr.  Willard  which  saw  the  monument  completed. 

*  The  italics  are  printed  as  marked  by  Mr.  Lawrence  in  the  manuscript. 


204  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


COST   OF   THE    BUNKER   HILL    MONUMENT. 


THE  cost  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  has  always  been  a 
question  of  peculiar  interest,  not  merely  as  a  matter  of  curiosity, 
but  as  having  some  relation  to  the  proper  and  judicious  expen 
diture  of  the  funds  voluntarily  contributed  by  the  community 
at  large  and  the  specific  donations  of  individuals.  It  was  un 
derstood  at  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the  work,  that  its 
size  and  character  were  to  be  in  some  degree  dependent  upon 
the  amount  of  the  means  at  the  disposition  of  the  directors,  and 
this  matter  was  ostensibly  considered  in  deciding  upon  the  de 
sign.  In  the  advertisement  offering  a  premium  of  one  hundred 
dollars  for  the  design  ';  which  shall  appear  to  merit  the  prefer 
ence,"  no  limitation  in  regard  to  cost  is  contained ;  but  Mr. 
Willard  says,  "it  will  be  perceived,  therefore,  that  the  size  of 
the  obelisk  had  necessarily  to  conform  to  the  means  available ; 
and  it  was  so  decided  by  the  committee  on  designs."  Most  of 
the  sketches  and  plans  made  by  Mr.  Willard,  at  the  request  of 
the  committee,  were  made  under  a  limitation  unknown  to  other 
artists  and  apparently  disregarded  in  the  end.  At  the  time  the 
design  was  decided  upon,  Mr.  Willard  was  requested  to  pre 
pare  three  separate  sketches,  in  order  "  to  test  the  question  of 
cost,"  and  Colonel  Baldwin,  in  his  final  report,  says  the  com 
mittee  took  "  into  consideration  the  funds  already  provided,  or 
probably  attainable"  Nevertheless,  with  an  estimate  of  cost 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARP.  205 

for  the  design  proposed,  amounting  to  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  funds  on  hand  amounting  to  only  about  one-third 
of  this  sum,  the  directors  determined  to  proceed  with  the  work. 
This  estimate,  made  by  Colonel  Baldwin,  has  been  published 
by  Mr.  Willard  and  shown  by  him  Jo^fce  an  estimate  for  small 
blocks  and  the  cheapest  kind  of  work ;  the  inner  walls  to  be 
left  in  a  rough  state,  and  a  large  part  of  the  work  to  be  done  at 
the  price,  whatever  the  quality,  of  common  cellar  stone.  We 
quote  a  portion  of  Mr.  Willard' s  remarks  upon  this  estimate,  in 
order  that  the  subject  may  be  properly  understood  and  his  ser 
vices  in  the  construction  of  the  work  properly  appreciated  : 

"  According  to  the  estimate,  there  were  to  have  been  one  hun 
dred  and  forty-seven  courses  in  the  obelisk,*  of  eighteen  inches 
rise  and  eighteen  inches  thick  ;  and,  as  no  drawing  accompanied 
the  estimate,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  they  were  to  have  been 
from  six  to  eight  feet  long,  and  consequently  would  have  been 
about  equal  to  posts  and  caps  of  the  same  dimensions.  This  lot 
of  stone  is  estimated  at  twenty  cents  per  cubic  foot,  delivered  at 
the  site  of  the  monument.  It  will  be  seen  at  once,  by  those 
acquainted  with  the  business,  that  twenty  cents  per  cubic  foot, 
for  stone  of  that  quality,  is  a  low  estimate  ;  that  it  would  barely 
pay  the  prime  cost,  under  the  best  management.  The  transpor 
tation  alone  has  generally  cost  about  twelve  cents  per  foot,  leav 
ing  only  eight  cents  per  foot,  for  the  quarrying,  loading,  bank- 
age  and  tools.  The  average  price  paid  at  the  State  Prison  for 
such  stone,  for  the  last  seventeen  years,  where  competition  has 
been  allowed,  and  consequently,  the  stone  has  been  obtained  at 
the  lowest  market  price,  is  about  thirty-four  cents  per  foot. 

il  The  next  item  in  the  estimate,  is  for  twenty-three  hundred 
and  forty-nine  and  two-thirds  perches  of  stone  for  the  interior. 


*  There  are  seventy-eight  courses  in  the  shaft  of  the  monument,  and  six  in 
the  "pointed  pyramid." 


206  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

These  are  estimated  at  three  dollars  per  perch,  or  at  twelve  cents 
per  cubic  foot ;  which  was  the  price  of  common  cellar  stone  at 
the  time.  It  must  be  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  price  was  low, 
or  that  a  very  ordinary  material  was  estimated  for. 

"  The  hammering,  on  the  outside,  appears  to  be  estimated  at 
about  a  fair  rate.  It  should  be  noticed,  however,  that  the  inner 
walls  were  to  have  been  left  in  a  rough  state ;  and  in  the  design 
which  has  been  executed,  the  fine  dressing  on  the  inner  walls  is 
about  equal  to  the  fine  dressing  on  the  outside  ;  and  consequent 
ly,  there  is  nearly  double  the  number  of  feet  of  fine  dressing  on 
the  design  which  has  been  executed,  that  there  was  to  have  been 
on  the  one  estimated  for. 

"  The  hammering  of  the  beds  and  builds,  amounting  to  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-five 
feet,  is  estimated  at  six  cents  per  foot.  This  again,  it  will  be 
seen,  is  a  very  low  estimate  for  decent  work,  including  tools ; 
and  it  will  be  obvious  to  every  one  acquainted  with  the  business, 
that  anything  that  could  be  done  for  six  cents  per  foot,  must 
necessarily  be  ordinary  work  ;  the  lowest  work  of  the  kind  in 
the  Custom  House  bill  of  prices  being  twenty-five  cents.  The 
laying  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight  perches 
of  stone,  at  five  dollars  per  perch,  including  scaffolding  and 
rigging,  amounting  for  the  whole  mason  work  above  ground,  to 
seventeen  thousand  six  hundred  an£  ninety  dollars,  seems  to  be 
a  moderate  estimate ;  as  it  is  understood  that  a  sum  of  nearly 
the  amount  was  carried  in  for  the  last  contract  alone,  which 
was  only  about  one- third  part  of  the  work. 

"  Of  the  remaining  items  no  particular  notice  seems  to  be 
necessary.  It  must  be  obvious,  however,  that  the  foregoing  es 
timate  was  intended  for  a  cheap  kind  of  work,  in  order  to  adapt 
it  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  low  state  of  the  finances  ;  and,  not 
withstanding  the  low  rate,  it  amounts  to  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars." 

Without  any  disparagement  of  the  estimate  made  by  Colonel 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  207 

Baldwin  for  the  work  proposed,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  no  such  work  as  that  indicated  by  the  prices  fixed  for  it, 
would  ever  have  been  done  under  Mr.  "YVillard's  superintend 
ence,  or  if  done,  would  have  been  satisfactory  to  him.  Colonel 
Baldwin's  estimate  was  for  the  kind  *or**work  which  the  dealers 
and  workers  in  granite  wished  Mr.  Willard  to  adopt  and  which 
they  were  prepared  to  execute,  namely,  "small  blocks,"  such 
as  they  were  using  for  "posts  and  caps."  Such  blocks  might 
make  a  "grand  and  striking  object,"  when  thrown  together  in 
"the  form  of  an  obelisk,"  but  they  would  not  constitute  that 
character  of  "natural,  inherent,  durable  greatness,"  of  which 
Mr.  Webster  very  early  spoke  and  which  the  Directors  always 
desired. 

Mr.  Willard' s  views  as  to  what  the  proposed  work  should 
be,  and  his  efforts  to  secure  a  suitable  quarry  for  the  purpose. 
have  already  been  stated  in  the  preceding  pages.  The  plan 
which  he  suggested  and  which  was  adopted  for  carrying  on  the 
work,  and  the  details  of  some  of  the  experiments  instituted  by 
him  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  quarrying,  dressing  and  laying  the 
stone,  have  also  been  given,  —  not  so  much  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  these  definitively  or  applying  the  results  obtained 
to  the  whole  work,  as  to  show  the  system  employed  and  methods 
adopted  under  Mr.  Willard' s  superintendence.  That  the  system 
was  successful  was  demonstrated  at  the  time  :  the  work  was  done 
in  the  best  manner,  by  the  best  workmen,  and  at  much  less  cost 
than  any  similar  work. 

We  cannot  but  esteem  it  as  fortunate  that  the  monument  was 
not  built  under  Colonel  Baldwin's  estimate.  As  it  now  stands 
complete  in  its  massive  grandeur,  it  is  a  very  different  work,  in 
material  and  finish,  externally  and  internally,  and  in  all  respects 
of  much  higher  character,  than  it  would  have  been  under  that 
cheap  estimate. 

The  actual  cost  of  the  monument,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Willard, 
is  based  upon  the  results  of  the  "three  experiments"  conducted 
by  him  during  the  progress  of  the  work.  In  these  are  included 


208  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

the  actual  payments  on  account  of  the  work,  and  they  are  as 
follows  : — 

1.  Expenses  from  November  17,  1825,  to  Febru 
ary  28,  1859,  $56,525  19 

2.  Expenses  from  June  17,  1834,  to  January, 

1836,  20,421  77 

3.  Expenses  paid  by  the  Contractor,     -         -         27,016  72 


Aggregate,  $103,963  68 

Deduct  for  apparatus,  1,400 

"         house  burnt,  800 

"         overcharge  in  transportation,    800 

3,000  00 


Total,  -  $101,963  68 


Some  other  items  of  expense  for  iron  work,  lightning  conduc 
tors  and  bankage,  increase  the  above  to  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
and  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-eight  dollars,  ($101,- 
688.)  In  the  above,  the  cost  of  the  third  experiment  is  not 
the  amount  paid  by  the  association  to  the  contractor,  but  the 
amount  paid  by  the  contractor  for  material,  labor  and  superin 
tendence,  irrespective  of  profits. 

Mr.  Willard,  in  the  publication  by  him  already  referred  to, 
makes  several  comparisons  between  the  cost  of  material  and 
work  in  the  monument  and  in  other  structures  of  the  same 
material  in  Boston.  The  average  size  of  the  blocks  in  the  mon 
ument  is  a  little  less  than  five  tons,  and  at  the  cost  paid  for 
similar  blocks  at  the  Branch  Bank,  in  State  street,  "  eighty- 
seven  thousand  feet  at  five  hundred  cents  per  foot,"  for  the 
granite  alone,  Mr.  Willard  very  justly  concluded,  "would  have 
amounted  to  an  enormous  sum."  The  market  price,  at  this 
time,  however,  Mr.  Willard  admits,  was  about  one  dollar  per 
cubic  foot  for  blocks  of  fifty-four  feet ;  or,  taking  the  Railway 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    W1LLARD.  -09 

price,  at  one  hundred  and  one  cents,  and  the  Custom  House 
price,  seventy-nine  cents,  gives  an  average  of  ninety  cents  per 
cubic  foot.  At  this  price,  the  cost  of  the  granite  blocks  would 
have  amounted  to  over  seventy-eight  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
whole  cost  of  the  monument  over  twa  hundred  and  fifty  thous 
and  dollars ;  and  this  sum,  we  presume,  would  have  been  a 
reasonable  estimate  for  the  work  at  the  time,  considering  the 
condition  of  the  granite  business  and  state  of  the  market. 

There  was  at  one  time  in  the  community  an  impression  that 
in  some  way,  or  by  somebody,  the  funds  subscribed  for  the 
erection  of  the  monument  had  been  wasted  or  misused ;  and  this 
matter  assumed  a  somewhat  tangible  shape  in  a  so-called  report, 
printed  in  1832,  by  the  party  which  the  year  previous  attempt 
ed  to  assume  control  of  the  corporation,  but  we  believe  no 
answer  or  explanation  of  the  charge  from  that  source  was  deemed 
expedient.  Mr.  Willard,  however,  referred  to  it,  in  1835,  in 
a  letter  from  which  we  make  the  following  extract : — 

"  The  work  commenced  by  the  directors  required  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  feet  of  granite  to  complete  it,  the  mar 
ket  value  of  which  was  more  than  seventy  cents,  and  conse 
quently  the  stone  alone,  delivered  at  the  site  of  the  monument, 
would  have  cost  the  sum  of  $105,000,  had  we  paid  the  market 
price  of  ordinary  stone.  The  fitting,  hoisting  and  setting,  in 
cluding  the  mortar,  iron- work,  &c.,  would  probably  have  come 
to  something  more  than  $15,000,  which  with  the  cost  of  the 
stone,  would  have  amounted  to  more  than  $120,000.  The  cash 
in  the  Treasury  at  the  commencement  of  the  work,  with  $7,000 
obtained  from  the  State,  amounting  to  about  $33,000,  was  all 
that  could  have  been  safely  relied  on  by  those  who  commenced 
it.  It  must  be  obvious,  therefore,  that  a  work  was  begun  on  a 
scale  and  magnitude  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  means  at  the 
disposal  of  those  who  had  the  charge  at  the  time,  and  could  not 
have  been  prosecuted  had  it  been  necessary  to  pay  the  customary 
prices  for  the  stone.  It  must  also  be  obvious  that  the  reports 


210  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

of  a  waste  of  the  funds,  which  have  been  current  these  ten  years 
past,  are  wholly  unfounded,  for  nothing  can  be  more  self-evident 
than  that  the  managers  could  not  have  wasted  what  they  never 
had.  These  reports  have  undoubtedly  arisen  either  from  gross 
ignorance  of  the  state  of  the  facts,  or  an  intention  to  deceive ; 
and  have  probably  been  circulated  by  those  who  had  contributed 
little  or  nothing  to  their  amount. 

"  It  should  be  observed,  however,  that  the  sum  of  $4,720  85, 
spent  according  to  the  Treasurer's  Report  for  1880,  in  laying 
the  corner-stone,  and  which  appears  to  have  given  the  only 
ground  of  complaint  of  a  waste  of  funds,  had  it  been  appro 
priated  to  the  work,  would  have  increased  the  whole  sum  to 
only  $38,000,  which  is  less  than  one-third  part  of  what  was 
required  to  complete  it,  had  we  paid  the  market  prices.  It 
must  be  clear,  therefore,  that  the  whole  sum  available,  with  or 
without  that  spent  in  laying  the  corner-stone,  was  wholly  inade 
quate  to  the  purpose  intended,  had  we  pursued  the  usual  course 
in  carrying  our  work  into  execution. 

"  All  the  important  bearings,  however,  were  well  understood 
at  the  time.  It  was  well  known  that  the  granite  business  was 
then  in  the  hands  of  men  of  mercenary  views,  without  science, 
and  was  consequently  conducted  in  an  unskilful  manner.  It 
was  proposed,  therefore,  to  keep  the  work  in  our  own  hands, 
and  after  going  through  the  usual  course  of  advertising  for  pro 
posals  without  receiving  any  that  were  satisfactory,  the  work 
was  commenced  under  my  superintendence  about  the  fifteenth 
of  November,  1825." 


We  copy  the  following  statements  and  remarks,  upon  the  sub 
ject  of  this  chapter,  from  Mr.  Willard's  printed  book,  and  com 
mend  the  conclusion  arrived  at  to  the  consideration  of  his 
friends,  the  members  of  the  Monument  Association  and  the 
contributors  to  the  work  :  — 

"  It  has  been  shown  that  the  actual  cost  of  the  obelisk  was 
about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  this  being  the  total  cost, 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  211 

notwithstanding  all  the  impediments  that  have  attended  the 
work.  Had  it  been  well  sustained,  and  completed  in  the  course 
of  about  three  years  —  which  would  have  been  a  reasonable 
time  —  it  would  have  made  a  great  difference  in  the  final  cost. 
It  must  be  obvious,  however,  that  whatever  the  difference  might 
have  been,  it  cannot  be  accurately  ascertained ;  but  is  estimated 
at  twenty  thousand  dollars,  leaving  eighty  thousand  dollars  as 
the  probable  cost  of  the  obelisk,  had  the  work  gone  on  without 
interruption  or  embarrassment. 

"  The  suspensions  at  different  times  were  disadvantageous  to 
the  economy  of  the  work.  .  .  .  .  But  notwithstanding  the 
unfavorable  circumstances  that  have  attended  the  work,  it  is 
presumed  that,  in  regard  to  economy  in  the  execution,  it  will 
not  suffer  in  a  comparison  with  any  work  whatever,  that  has 
been  executed  in  modern  times.  And  such  a  comparison  would 
probably  exhibit  its  merits  more  clearly  than  could  be  done  in 
any  other  way. 

"  It  is  found  by  comparison,  that  the  Washington  Monument, 
in  Baltimore,  contains  but  about  half  the  number  of  cubic  feet 
of  material  that  are  in  this  obelisk.  It  consists  of  a  column  of 
about  nineteen  feet  diameter  at  the  base,  set  on  a  pedestal,  and 
altogether  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high.  It  is  well 
executed,  but  of  cheap  construction.  The  foundation  is  of  slaty 
granite,  in  small  pieces,  and  the  body  of  the  work  is  of  bricks, 
faced  with  limestone,  and  in  ashlar  courses  of  about  one  foot 
rise.  And,  notwithstanding,  has  cost,  as  stated  on  good  author 
ity,  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  And, 
consequently,  has  cost  twenty  thousand  dollars  more  than  twice 
as  much  as  the  obelisk. 

"  It  will  be  seen  also  that  the  obelisk  will  compare  still  more 
favorably  with  the  work  now  going  on  at  the  Custom  House,  in 
Boston.  It  appears  by  the  debate  in  Congress,  that  this  Cus 
tom  House,  which  it  is  presumed  contains  about  an  equal  quan 
tity  of  granite  with  the  obelisk,  has  already  cost  the  sum  of 
seven  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  requires  three  hundred 


212  MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

thousand  more  to  complete  the  work.  The  whole  amounting  to 
a  million  of  dollars,  and  consequently  equal  in  cost  to  ten  such 
obelisks  as  that  on  Bunker  Hill.  And  it  is  presumed,  that 
the  columns  and  pilasters  alone,  which  are  attached  to  the  body 
of  the  work,  have  cost  as  much  as  two  such  obelisks. 

"  It  must  be  obvious,  therefore,  that  if  these  works  have  been 
executed  at  fair  rates,  the  obelisk  has  been  built  at  a  very  low 
rate ;  and  could  not  have  been  executed  at  such  a  price  had  not 
the  work  been  skilfully  planned,  and  had  not  the  plan  been  well 
sustained  by  close  attention  and  hard  labor. 

"  It  has  already  been  shown,  that  the  work  done  on  the  obe 
lisk,  had  the  association  paid  its  full  value,  would  have  cost 
them  the  round  sum  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  whereas, 
the  actual  sum  paid  out  for  the  work  is  but  about  half  that 
amount ;  and,  consequently,  there  has  been  a  clear  saving  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  by  the  course  taken  in  carrying 
it  on.  And  as  the  saving  of  that  amount  is  equivalent  to  con 
tributing  the  same  amount  in  cash,  it  follows,  that  those  who 
have  planned  and  conducted  the  executive  parts  of  the  work, 
have  in  effect,  borne  half  of  the  expense,  by  contributing  to  that 
amount  in  cash  or  its  equivalent." 

These  statements  and  remarks,  which  have  been  before  the 
public  under  Mr.  Willard's  authority,  since  1843,  have  never 
been  disputed,  questioned  or  even  criticised,  and  are  believed  to 
be  entirely  accurate.  By  the  lowest  terms  of  the  market  value 
of  material  and  labor,  had  the  association  purchased  in  the  usual 
way  the  one,  and  paid  the  customary  profit  on  the  other, — 
instead  of  owning  the  quarry  and  employing  their  own  work 
men,  —  it  is  not  possible  to  make  the  cost  of  the  monument 
less  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  ;  and  there  is,  therefore, 
today,  (to  say  nothing  of  Mr.  Willard's  unpaid  work  on  the 
design,  his  time  and  expenses  in  finding  a  suitable  quarry,  &c.) 
not  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  represented 
by  his  thought,  skill  and  labor,  in  the  grand  structure  that  now 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  213 

crowns  the  glorious  battle-ground  of  Bunker  Hill  :  and  the 
truthfulness  of  Mr.  Lawrence's  record,  "  that  posterity  .  . 
are  more  indebted  to  Solomon  Willard  than  to  any  other  man 
for  the  monument,"  must  be  considered  as  demonstrated. 

In  stating  the  actual  cost  of  the  monument  at  about  one 
hundred  and  one  thousand  dollars,  ($101,688,)  or  even  its 
contingent  cost,  had  a  different  course  been  pursued,  at  double 
that  sum,  it  is  to  be  considered,  that  no  allowance  is  made 
for  compensation  of  services  rendered  by  the  respective  com 
mittees  who  had  the  work  in  charge,  or  for  superintendence, 
beyond  the  necessary  expenses,  nor  any  profit,  as  such,  other 
than  the  ordinary  day-wages  or  piece-pay  of  the  workmen 
allowed  to  them.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  work 
actually  done  in  behalf  of  the  monument,  —  by  the  long  and 
patriotic  services  of  its  devoted  Treasurer,  by  its  diligent  and 
talented  Secretaries,  its  influential  and  eminent  Presidents,  its 
able  and  intelligent  Committees  and  its  distinguished  Boards  of 
Directors,  —  and  not  paid  for  in  any  way,  was  many  times 
larger  than  the  real  work  of  building  the  monument,  which, 
excepting  the  profits  gained  by  the  last  contractor,  is  all  that 
was  ever  compensated  for  at  a  money  valuation. 

The  whole  amount  of  money  which  was  collected  or  received 
and  expended  by  the  association  and  its  auxiliaries  in  the 
work,  —  for  expenses  of  organization,  meetings,  ceremonies  and 
celebrations,  printing  ard  publication,  interest  on  loans  and 
debt,  and  various  other  charges,  —  it  would  be  almost  impossi 
ble  now  to  ascertain  ;  but  probably  all  these,  together  with  the 
actual  cost  of  the  work  itself,  will  hardly  amount  to  a  greater 
sum  than  the  cost  as  reported  of  the  Washington  Monument,  at 
Baltimore,  (nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,)  and  less  than 
o "ie  quarter  rart  of  the  probable  cost  of  the  Custom  House 
at  Boston. 


214  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


LOCATION   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   BUNKER    HILL   MONUMENT. 


THE  town  of  Charlestown,  and  by  inheritance  the  city  of 
Charlestown,  is  made  historical  by  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  in 
the  opening  of  the  American  Revolution.  Like  Boston,  it 
was  originally  a  "  trimountaine"  peninsula,  having  most  promi 
nent  in  its  outline  three  distinct  elevations  :  the  Town  Hill, 
upon  which  Governor  Winthrop's  company  built  their  stockade 
houses  and  buried  their  dead ;  Breed's  Hill,  upon  which  the 
battle  was  mainly  fought,  and  Bunker's  Hill,  the  highest  of  the 
three  and  nearest  the  neck  of  the  peninsula.  It  seems  to  be 
conceded  that  the  order  of  General  Ward,  which  brought  on  the 
battle,  was  intended  to  apply  to  Bunker's  Hill,  (now  generally 
written  Bunker  Hill.)  and  that  Breed's  Hill,  being  much  nearer 
to  Boston,  was  taken  possession  of  as  the  preferable  position,  or 
by  a  mistake,  the  consequences  of  which  have  proved  so  momen 
tous  in  the  history  of  the  country.  The  anomaly  in  history  that 
the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  upon  Breed's  Hill,  is 
probably  not  very  remarkable  at  this  day,  and  the  attempt 
made  some  years  ago,  on  a  local  map,  to  change  the  names  of 
the  two  hills,  was  simply  ludicrous. 

The  summit  of  the  hill  is  about  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of 
tide-water.  The  first  address  of  the  Monument  Association  to 
the  public,  speaks  of  it  as  "the  most  interesting  spot  in  our 
country."  The  "  Circular"  of  1824,  gives  a  more  elaborate 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARP.  215 

description  of  the  spot  and  its  suitableness  for  the  purposes  then 
in  contemplation.^  The  views  from  the  hill  are  briefly  indicated 
by  Mr.  Everett,  in  his  Faneuil  Hall  speech,  of  May,  1833, 
in  which  he  called  upon  his  Ijstener  "  to  place  himself,  in 
imagination,  on  the  summit  of  the  beautiful  hill  where  the  battle 
was  fought ;  look  out  upon  the  prospect -of  unsurpassed  loveli 
ness  that  spreads  before  him,  by  land  and  by  sea  ;  the  united 
features  of  town  and  country ;  the  long  rows  of  buildings  and 
stores  in  the  city,  rising  one'  above  another  upon  the  sides  of  her 
triple  hills  ;  the  surrounding  sweep  of  country,  checked  with 
prosperous  villages  ;  on  one  side  the  towers  of  the  city  churches, 
on  the  other  the  long  succession  of  rural  spires  ;  the  rivers  that 
flow  on  either  side  to  the  sea ;  the  broad  expanse  of  harbor 
and  bay,  spotted  with  verdant  islands,  —  with  a  hundred  ships 
dancing  in  every  direction  over  the  waves ;  the  vessels  of  war, 
keeping  guard  with  their  sleeping  thunders,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill ;  and  on  its  top,  within  the  shade  of  venerable  trees,  over 
the  ashes  of  the  great  and  good,  the  noble  obelisk,  rising  to  the 
heavens  and  crowning  the  magnificent  scene." 

From  its  prominence  in  the  landscape  and  its  position  at  the 
head  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  it  was  always  regarded  as  an  emi 
nently  suitable  spot  for  the  erection  of  the  proposed  monument. 
That  the  engagement  which  here  took  place,  —  the  first  in  the 
war  which  may  be  properly  called  a  battle,  —  and  the  conse 
quences  which  flowed  from  it  upon  the  future  relations  of  the 
colonies,  made  it  of  all  others,  the  place  for  the  erection  of  such 
a  memorial,  was  abundantly  shown  at  the  time  of  its  com 
mencement.  That  the  time  for  its  erection  was  fitly  chosen.  — 
after  the  war  of  independence  had  been  confirmed  by  a  war 
for  national  consideration.  —  recent  unhappy  events  have  only 
too  plainly  demonstrated. 

The  majestic  structure  which  now  rises  from  this  renowned 


*  Ante,  p.  64. 


216  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

hill,  and  by  its  massive  proportions  gives  grace  and  grandeur 
to  the  scene,  is  variously  spoken  of  as  simple,  grand  or  sublime, 
according  to  the  taste  or  sentiment  of  the  beholder.  But  as  a 
work  of  art,  or  as  a  mechanical  creation,  it  is  very  rarely  that 
its  excellencies  are  appreciated,  or  the  skill  and  labor  which  it 
embodies  understood.  It  is  called  both  by  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr. 
Willard,  an  "  Obelisk,"  but  in  the  words  of  the  vote  adopting 
the  design,  it  is  more  accurately  spoken  of  as  "  in  the  form  of 
an  Obelisk,"  being  composed  of  sections,  or  courses,  built  up 
as  masonry,  instead  of  a  single  block  or  shaft.  The  numerous 
Egyptian  obelisks  which  ornament  modern  Rome  ;  those  of 
Heliopolis,  Luxor  and  Carnac,  all  come  within  the  authorized 
definition  of  the  term,  each  being  "a  lofty  monolithic  quadran 
gular  shaft,  tapering  gradually  from  the  base  to  the  summit, 
which  terminates  in  a  pointed  pyramid."  These  almost  without 
exception,  are  covered  with  inscriptions  in  hieroglyphic  charac 
ters,  and  are  variously  regarded  as  religious,  historical  or  merely 
ornamental  structures,  and  by  some  have  been  even  supposed  to 
be  for  scientific  purposes.  It  is  highly  probable  that  they  were 
personal  monuments,  erected  by  kings  or  rulers  to  commemorate 
their  reigns,  and  thus  to  some  extent  historical ;  and  as  they 
were  all  erected  many  centuries  B.  C.,  may  have  been  dedicated 
to  some  of  the  heathen  gods  and  regarded  as  sacred.  Some  of 
those  now  standing  in  Rome  have  been  surmounted  with  globes, 
crosses  or  statuary. 

The  object  and  purposes  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  are 
fully  set  forth  in  history  ;  but  should  the  material  of  this  struc 
ture  prove  more  durable  than  history,  the  time  may  come, 
centuries  hence,  when,  its  purpose  will  be  as  obscure  as  that  of 
the  Egyptian  obelisks  and  pyramids  are  today.  But  of  this  we 
may  be  quite  sure  :  it  will  never  be  removed  from  the  place  it 
now  occupies  to  adorn  some  future  Rome,  or  bear  down  to  times 
more  remote  the  effigy  of  some  temporary  ecclesiastic. 

The  monument  differs  from  an  Obelisk  externally,  only  in 
the  fact  that  it  is  not  a  monolith ;  but  internally,  as  in  the 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLAKL>.  217 

arrangement  of  space,  there  is  no  similarity,  and  no  compari 
son  between  the  two  can  be  made.  As  a  work  of  art.  the 
merit  of  the  monument  does  not  consist  in  its  form,  or  external 
appearance,  but  rather  in  its  planning,  scientific  construction 
and  impressiveness  as  a  whole.  The  formation  of  an  obelisk, 
from  a  single  block  of  granite,  the  height,  dimensions  of  base  and 
apex  being  furnished,  would  seem  to  be,  in  the  earliest  times,  a 
comparatively  easy  task,  involving  but  few  of  the  scientific 
principles  which  are  to  be  found  impressed  on  nearly  every  block 
of  stone  in  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument.  To  erect  an  Egyptian 
obelisk  in  sections,  or  courses  of  masonry,  without  interior 
apartments,  would  be  a  much  more  difficult  work  and  require 
vastly  more  skill  and  labor,  than  would  be  required  to  hew  it 
out  of  a  single  block  of  whatever  size.  Such  a  work  would  be 
equal,  supposing  the  structure  to  be  of  the  same  magnitude, 
only  to  the  external  walls  of  the  present  monument. 

There  are  instead  of  one.  as  in  a  monolith,  four  "wrought 
surfaces  in  this  great  work,  extending  to  the  whole  height  of  its 
parts,  and  each  differing  in  its  diminishing  line  from  all  the 
others ;  and,  in  addition  to  these,  there  is  a  lofty  flight  of  cir 
cular  stairs,  between  the  inner  wall  of  the  monument  and  the 
outer  wall  of  the  cone,  extending  to  the  domed  chamber,  nearly 
the  whole  height  of  the  structure.  Of  the  four  wrought  sur 
faces,  the  three  inside  of  the  work  are  circular  —  two  of  them 
fine  hammered  —  the  height  of  the  courses  and  the  degree  of 
the  angles  being  different  in  the  cone  and  the  main  work.  The 
monument,  therefore,  is  far  from  being  a  simple  obelisk,  or 
even  two  obelisks,  one  within  the  other.  In  its  exterior  form  it 
is  a  quadrangular  structure.  221  feet  5,  in  height,  terminating 
at  the  top  in  a  pointed  pyramid.  The  sides  of  the  square  at 
the  base,  are  30  feet,  diminishing  to  15  feet  at  the  base  of  the 
pyramid.  Were  it  not  for  the  hollow  cone  in  the  interior  and 
the  elaborate  stairway  winding  around  it,  there  would  be  within 
a  circular  chamber,  conical  in  form,  about  215  feet  high,  dimin 
ishing  in  diameter  from  17  feet  at  the  base  to  11  feet  at  the 
28 


2  18  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

spring  of  the  arch  of  the  dome.  But  the  architect,  to  whom 
the  details  of  the  construction  were  entrusted,  determined  to 
provide  for  a  commodious  stairway  by  the  erection  of  a  hollow 
cone  in  the  centre  of  the  work,  the  proportions  of  which  would 
be  such  as  to  afford  between  it  and  the  monument  proper,  the 
desired  space.  This  has  been  accomplished  in  a  most  successful 
manner,  rendering  the  ascent  of  the  monument  perfectly  easy, 
safe  and  convenient. 

A  sectional  view  of  the  monument,  drawn  and  published  by 
Mr.  Willard,*  more  clearly  than  any  words  can  do,  shows  the 
manner  of  building  and  some  of  the  peculiarities  in  the  con 
struction.  The  Foundation  consists  of  six  courses  of  heavy 
blocks  of  granite,  laid  alternately  as  headers  and  stretchers, 
the  sides  of  the  first  course  being  fifty  feet,  covering  the 
whole  square  excepting  the  corners.  The  second  course  falls 
back  three  feet  ;  the  other  courses  fall  back  in  the  same  man 
ner  to  a  square  of  thirty  feet,  and  the  seventh  course  is  the 
first  of  the  monument.  Inserted  in  the  stone  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  this  course,  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  in  the 
engraving,  on  its  under  side,  is  the  deposit  which  was  placed 
in  one  of  the  temporary  foundation  stones  in  the  presence  of 
General  Lafayette,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1825. 

The  outer  and  inner  courses  of  the  monument  are  each  2  feet 
8  inches  rise,  and  78  in  number,  to  the  base  of  the  pyramid.— 
The  inclination  in  the  outer  wall,  on  each  side  of  the  structure, 
is  7  feet  6  inches  from  the  perpendicular,  equal  to  2J  inches 
diminution  in  each  course — so  that  each  side  of  the  monument  is 
built  on  an  angle  of  less  than  two  degrees  inclination.  The  inte 
rior  surface  has  a  lesser  diminishing  line,  in  order  to  maintain 
the  largest  practicable  width  for  the  stairway. 

The  Pyramid  which  forms  the  top  and  apex  of  the  monument 
is  composed  of  six  courses  of  stone,  including  the  cap-stone,  and 


Plans  and  Sections  of  the  Obelisk,"  &c. 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  219 

its  vertical  section  forms  an  equilateral  triangle  of  fifteen  feet, 
its  base  being  fifteen  feet  square.  Its  perpendicular  height  from 
the  base  line  to  the  apex  is  thirteen  feet.  The  two  courses 
below  the  cap-stone  are  composed  of  two  blocks  each,  laid  trans 
versely  to  each  other. 

The  Cone,  or  hollow  column,  in  the  centre  of  the  monument, 
at  the  base,  is  10  feet  in  diameter  from  outside  to  outside,  6 
feet  8  inches  in  the  clear,  and  the  wall  20  inches  in  thickness. 
At  the  top  the  diameter  is  6  ft.  2  inches  outside,  4  ft.  2  inches 
in  the  clear,  and  the  wall  12  inches  in  thickness.  The  varia 
tion  from  the  perpendicular  in  the  line  of  the  outer  wall  is  about 
one  foot  eleven  inches  in  the  whole  height — equal  to  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  to  a  foot  ;  and  owing  to  the  diminution  in  the  thick 
ness  of  the  wall,  the  angle  of  its  inner  side  is  still  smaller, 
not  exceeding  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  to  a  foot  in  height.  — 
There  are  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  courses  of  stone  in 
the  cone,  of  1  foot  4  inches  each.  Thus  this  portion  of  the 
structure  is  a  series  of  conic  sections,  each  block  being  of  differ 
ent  angles  on  the  sides,  bevelled  at  the  ends  and  forming  the 
section  of  a  circle.  There  is  not,  therefore,  in  the  cone,  a  sin 
gle  block  of  stone  having  any  right  angles  ;  and  the  only  blocks 
in  the  structure  that  are  of  similar  dimensions,  or  that  could  be 
used  in  duplicate,  are  those  which  occupy  corresponding  positions 
in  the  same  course. 

If  this  cone  could  be  seen  separated  from  the  monument, 
which  encloses  it,  it  would  present  the  form  of  a  regular  dimin 
ishing  column  of  10  feet  diameter  at  its  base  and  6  ft.  2,  at  its 
top,  hollow  in  its  full  height,  flat  at  the  top  and  smooth  ham 
mered  on  its  exterior  surface.  Alone,  it  would  constitute  a 
monument  of  gigantic  dimensions,  towering  far  above  all  sur 
rounding  objects,  filling  the  eye  with  its  proportions,  and  ex 
celling  in  height  any  similar  monument  in  the  world.  But,  as 
built,  there  winds  around  this  cone  a  flight  of  stairs,  conceived 
with  judgment  and  executed  with  skill,  extending  from  the  base 


220  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

to  its  top,  enclosed  by  the  grand  and  massive  structure,  "  in  the 
form  of  an  Obelisk,"  of  dimensions  excelled  only  in  the  pyra 
mids  of  Egypt.  As  there  was  originally  a  long  discussion 
whether  the  monument  should  be  in  the  obelisk  form  or  a 
column,  it  is  singular  that  as  built  it  should  unite  the  two  —  one 
within  the  other. 

The  Steps  in  the  circular  stairway  are  294  in  number,  and  of 
course,  owing  to  the  gradual  batter  of  the  walls  in  which  they 
rest,  each  step  must  vary  in  dimensions  from  every  other  step, 
excepting  in  their  height.  The  rise  of  the  steps  is  8  inches, 
doubling  in  the  walls  of  the  cone,  and  the  latter  doubling 
in  the  walls  of  the  monument.  The  narrow  openings  on 
the  north  side  of  the  monument  for  light  and  ventilation,  occur 
in  each  circle  of  the  steps  around  the  cone,  at  the  broad  stair, 
and  are  seven  in  number.  Thirty-nine  steps  are  required  to 
complete  the  first  circle,  and  forty  for  the  second.  The  third 
circle  has  thirty-eight  steps ;  the  fourth,  thirty-seven  ;  the  fifth, 
thirty-five ;  the  sixth,  thirty-three ;  the  seventh,  thirty-two ; 
the  eighth,  forty.  Now,  if  in  our  mind's  eye  we  surround 
this  lofty  stairway  with  a  quadrangular  structure,  of  the 
dimensions  already  stated,  as  the  monument  proper,  and  com 
prehend  at  a  glance  its  gigantic  proportions,  its  large  interior 
spaces  and  its  exterior  surface  on  each  side  of  the  quadrangle, 
with  a  height  perfectly  dizzying  to  the  sight,  we  shall  have  a 
clear  general  conception  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  with 
an  idea,  however  imperfect,  of  its  extraordinary  character,  which 
it  is  not  easy  for  a  mere  beholder  of  the  work  to  realize. 

The  monument  proper  of  course  is  its  external  form,  irrespec 
tive  of  its  internal  arrangement  or  construction.  The  character 
as  well  as  the  purpose  of  the  work  is  expressed  in  this,  and  by 
this  its  excellence  is  to  be  estimated.  The  interior  may  be  ever 
so  complex  and  successful,  it  would  weigh  but  little  against  a 
failure  externally.  To  this  test  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  221 

has  been  subjected,  in  its  proportions  and  details,  and  it  stands 
today,  not  only  the  loftiest,  but  the  most  sublime  and  impressive 
monument  in  the  world.  The  blocks  of  which  it  is  composed, 
so  great  in  number  and  in  variety  -ef  form,  were  all  quarried 
and  hewn  to  size  and  shape,  in  the  wild  crags  of  Mount  Wol- 
laston,  so  that  comparatively  speaking,  scarcely  was  the  sound 
of  maul  or  chisel  heard  upon  the  hill  in  its  erection.  There 
are  in  the  monument  more  than  six  thousand  six  hundred  tons 
of  stone,  and  not  a  single  block,  excepting  those  in  the  foun 
dation  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  which  is  rectangular 
in  its  form. 

"  In  the  construction,  the  courses  are  alike,  except  diminish 
ing  as  they  recede  from  the  base  upward.  In  order  to  preserve 
the  bond,  however,  the  headers  are  shifted  to  opposite  sides  in 
each  succeeding  course,  namely :  in  the  first  course,  the  headers 
show  on  the  east  and  west  sides,  and  in  the  second  on  the  south, 
and  so  on."* 

The  base  of  the  monument  is  surrounded  by  a  solid  granite 
platform,  just  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  supporting 
on  its  outer  edge  a  handsome  iron  fence,  with  appropriate  granite 
posts  at  the  corners. 

We  have  been  somewhat  particular  in  describing  the  monu 
ment  in  order  to  show  that  it  has  claims  as  a  work  of  art,  not 
generally  understood  or  conceded  to  the  architect.  To  those 
"  architects  and  engineers"  to  whom  Mr.  Willard  especially 
dedicated  his  printed  volume,  much  that  we  have  said  may  be 
deemed  superfluous  and  unnecessary  :  to  others  it  may  prove 
to  be  more  suggestive.  As  compared  with  the  Egyptian  obe 
lisks,  in  respect  to  the  skill  and  labor  required  in  the  work,  it 
must  be  equal,  irrespective  of  inscriptions,  to  a  large  number  of 
them  ;  and  in  the  more  scientific  work  of  preparation,  planning, 
drawing,  modelling,  &c.,  the  difference  is  still  more  appreciable. 

*  "  Plans  and  Sections  of  the  Obelisk,"  &c 


222  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

It  is  no  part  of  our  purpose,  in  this  way,  to  institute  a  compari 
son  between  ancient  and  modern  art,  but  simply  to  show  the 
large  excess  of  work  in  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  the  skill 
and  judgment  manifested  in  its  conception  and  exercised  in  its 
erection,  and  its  title  to  consideration  in  art. 

As  a  whole  the  completed  monument  has  fully  equalled  the 
expectations  of  its  builders  and  the  public  —  and  probably,  of 
a  more  exacting  party,  the  Architect.  But  from  the  latter,  not 
one  word  do  the  public  or  private  records  afford,  expressive  of 
any  opinion,  or  indicative  of  any  claim  to  consideration  in  con 
nection  with  this  crowning  work  of  his  life.  That  he  was  satis 
fied  with  the  design  for  the  work,  as  finally  drawn  by  him  and 
adopted  by  the  committee,  and  gratified  beyond  expression  at  its 
completion,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe.  His  extraordinary 
interest  in  the  work  is  sufficient  evidence  of  this ;  and  he  felt, 
or  had  a  right  to  feel,  that  the  monument  was  an  enduring 
memorial  of  his  own  merit  as  an  artist,  and  of  his  skill,  genius 
and  perseverance  as  a  mechanic.  He  never  spoke  or  wrote  of 
this,  and  the  feeling,  though  it  may  have  dignified  him  as  a 
man,  never  otherwise  escaped  him.  His  native  modesty  forbade 
him  to  make  any  claim  in  his  own  behalf,  and  in  his  printed 
volume,  as  in  his  letters  and  reports,  he  invariably  spoke  of 
"those  who  have  planned  and  conducted  the  executive  parts  of 
the  work."  He  always  had  faith  that  justice  would  be  done 
to  him.  For  the  credit  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Asso 
ciation,  for  the  encouragement  of  a  laudable  ambition  in  men, 
his  merit  should  be  rewarded,  his  faith  and  constancy  duly 
honored.  We  must  cherish  the  faith  of  man  in  men,  for  the 
benefit  of  those  it  may  inspire. 

The  completed  monument  realized  to  the  directors  their  first 
conception  of  the  work,  announced  long  before  any  design  had 
been  decided  upon,  and  before  the  question  had  been  discussed. 
Their  first  remark  was  that  "  it  would  be  distinguished  by  sim 
plicity  and  grandeur,  rather  than  by  elaborate  or  elegant  orna 
ments,"  and  this  remark  quite  perfectly  describes  the  finished 


MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  223 

structure.  Mr.  Everett,  in  speaking  of  the  monument  before  it 
was  finished,  said,  l  i  What  is  already  done  is  as  substantial  as 
the  great  pyramid  of  Egypt.  The  foundations  have  been  laid 
with  such  depth  and  solidity  that  nothing  but  an  earthquake 
can  shake  them.  The  part  already  constructed  will  last  to  the 
end  of  time." 

The  Executive  Committee,  in  1834,  spoke  of  the  monument 
as  follows  :  "It  may  hereafter  be  said  of  this  monument,  with 
more  propriety  and  more  feeling  than  the  Greeks  were  accus 
tomed  to  speak  of  the  Statue  of  Olympian  Jupiter,  that  '  to 
have  lived,  and  to  have  died,  without  having  seen  it,  was  to 
have  lived  in  vain.'  ' 

The  monument  is  without  any  inscription  :  the  following  elo 
quent  exposition  of  its  purpose,  and  the  lesson  it  is  intended  to 
teach,  is  the  language  of  the  certificate  of  membership  issued  in 
the  joint  names  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  and  Mechanic 
Associations,  in  1833  : — 

"  The  Law  of  Nature  ordains  equality  among  men  in  political 
rights  and  duties.  The  American  Revolution  established  the 
dominion  of  this  law,  but  at  the  cost  of  Valiant  Patriots,  who 
devoted  their  lives  that  future  generations  might  rise  to  the 
dignity  of  Free  Citizens,  qualified  to  make  their  own  rules  in 
social  and  political  order.  The  People  of  this  day,  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  the.  benefits  for  which  these  Patriots  fought  and 
died,  and  humbly  acknowledging  their  dependence  on  Divine 
Providence,  for  all  the  good  that  has  been  gained  and  secured 
to  them,  unite  in  raising  a  monument  on  the  field  of  battle,  to 
commemorate  the  events  of  the 

SEVENTEENTH  OF  JUNE,    1775, 

as  the  most  eminent  of  the  early  achievements  in  the  cause  of 
rational  freedom.  If  in  the  delusions  of  prosperity,  or  the  gloom 
of  adversity,  or  in  the  tendency  to  change  which  is  stamped  on 
all  human  purpose,  the  spirit  of  that  day  should  be  perishing, 
let  this  MONUMENT  renew  it  with  all  its  glorious  and  dutiful 
associations/' 


224  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

MEASUREMENTS   OF   BUNKER  HILL  MONUMENT. 
BY  CHARLES  L.  STEVENSON,  Civil  Engineer. 

Dimensions  of  the   Obelisk. 

Height  of  obelisk  to  base  of  pyramid,  .  208  ft.  5 

Height  of  the  monument  to  the  apex,  .  221  ft.  5 

Sides  of  the  square,  first  course,         .  .  30  feet. 

Sides  of  the  square  at  base  of  pyramid,  .  15     " 

Thickness  of  wall  at  the  ba?e,  one-fifth,  .  6     " 

Thickness  of  wall  at  the  top,     .         .  .  2     " 

Circumference  of  chamber  in  the  top,  .  36     " 

Height  of  chamber,           .         .         .  .  18      " 

Diameter  of  chamber,       .         .         .  '.  11  ft.  6 

Height  of  each  course  in  the  monument,  .  2  ft.  8 

Diminish  in  each  course,             .         .  .  2J  inches. 

Number  of  courses  to  base  of  pyramid,  .  78 

Number  of  steps  in  the  circular  stairs,         .  294 

Height  of  riser,        .         .                   .  .  8  inches. 

Foundation  50  ft.  square,  6  courses,  2  ft.  each,  12  ft.  deep. 

Dimensions  of   the  Cone. 

Height  of  the  cone,  from  the  flooring,         .         .     196  ft.  9 
Diameter  of  the  first  course,  .         .         .10  feet. 

Diameter  of  the  top  course,     .         .         .         .         6  ft.  2 
Thickness  of  wall,  at  base,  one-sixth,  .         1  ft.  8 

Thickness  of  wall  at  the  top,    ....         1  foot. 
Height  of  each  course,  .         ;         .         .         1  ft.  4 

Number  of  courses, 147 

Diminish  in  each  course,  .         . '       6-10ths  of  an  inch. 

Dimensions   of  the    Pyramid. 

Vertical  height  from  base  line  to  apex,  .  13  feet. 

Number  of  courses  in  the  pyramid,  '  .  .  6 

Sides  of  the  base,     .         .  -        .         ,  .  15  feet. 

From  the  base  line  to  apex,        .         .  .  15    " 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   W1LLARD.  225 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


MR.  WILLARD    AS   ARCHITECT   AND    BUILDER  —  1824  —  1835. 


WHILE  the  work  upon  the  monument  was  going  forward, 
Mr.  Willard's  duties  at  the  quarry  and  on  the  hill  were  such 
as  to  allow  him  little  time  for  any  other  service,  or  the  progres 
sive  self-culture  which  he  always  desired.  In  addition  to  his 
general  superintendence  and  oversight  of  the  various  processes, 
new  contrivances  for  facilitating  the  work,  working-models  and 
plans  for  the  hammerers,  were  often  required,  while  questions 
as  to  the  quality  of  the  stock,  the  difficulties  of  transportation, 
the  employment,  payment  and  discharge  of  the  men,  made  fre 
quent  demands  upon  his  time.  He  was  almost  daily  at  the  site 
of  the  monument,  or  at  the  quarry,  and  had  little  time  to 
perform  the  necessary  office-work.  He  was,  however,  very 
frequently  called  upon  for  information  and  advice  by  architects, 
builders  and  individuals,  and  it  was  always  given,  generally 
without  fee  or  subsequent  employment.  Designs  and  plans  were 
furnished  in  the  same  way.  During  the  suspensions  of  the 
work  on  the  monument,  Mr.  Willard  was  variously  engaged  as 
architect,  builder  and  quarryman. 

The  United  States  Branch  Bank,  on  State  street,  which  was 
designed  and  built  by  him,  was  completed  before  the  work  on 
the  monument  was  commenced.  The  corner-stone  of  the  Bank 
was  formally  laid  on  the  fifth  day  of  July,  1824.  The  heavy 
columns  in  the  portico  of  this  building,  were  cut  from  a  huge 
29 


226  MEMOIR    OF  SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

boulder  of  granite  in  the  town  of  Westford,  Massachusetts, 
known  as  the  Chelmsford  granite.  They  were  twenty-four  feet  in 
height,  including  the  cap,  and  four  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base, 
being  six-diameter  columns.  The  building  was  very  much 
admired  for  its  pure  style  of  architecture,  and  a  professor  in 
Harvard  College  requested  of  Mr.  Willard  a  statement  of  its 
proportions  to  be  used  "  in  an  exercise  in  perspective."  This 
building  has  since  been  remodelled,  in  order  to  enlarge  its  ac 
commodations,  and  its  claims  at  this  day  to  architectural  merit 
may  well  be  questioned. 

The  plan  of  the  monument  at  Concord,  in  commemoration  of 
the  fight  at  the  "old  North  bridge,"  was  furnished  at  the 
request  of  Mr.  Everett,  in  1825,  but  on  account  of  the  inde 
cision  as  to  its  location,  was  not  completed  until  1836.  It  is  a 
plain  obelisk,  elevated  upon  a  pedestal,  but  unfortunately  is 
in  several  pieces.  The  plan  made  by  Mr.  Willard,  was  at  once 
adopted  by  the  Building  Committee,  of  which  fact  Mr.  Everett 
informed  him,  and  requested  to  know  the  fee  for  preparing  it. 
To  this  note  Mr.  Willard  replied— "I  did  not  think  of 
making  any  charge,  and  am  sorry  you  should  give  yourself  any 
trouble  about  it."  This  little  circumstance  is  quite  character 
istic  of  both  gentlemen  —  Mr.  Everett  would  have  freely  paid 
the  fee  out  of  his  own  pocket ;  Mr.  Willard  did  not  desire  it  of 
anybody.  In  the  same  note  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Everett,  "many 
of  my  friends  are  in  a  habit  of  adding  an  Esq.,  to  my  name  in 
the  superscriptions  of  their  letters,  supposing  me  possessed  of 
the  little  vanity  which  it  would  gratify ;  but  as  I  have  no  claim 
to  such  distinction,  it  would  be  more  pleasing  to  have  it  omit 
ted."  In  a  subsequent  note  from  Mr.  Everett  he  scrupulously 
complied  with  Mr.  Willard' s  request. 

The  inscription  upon  the  Concord  monument,  is  cut  on  a  mar 
ble  slab.  It  was  written  by  Rev.  Dr.  Ripley,  of  that  town,  one 
of  the  energetic  and  authoritative  clergymen  of  the  old  school, 
whose  faith  in  God  was  not  simply  that  He  ruled  the  universe 
by  all-wise  laws,  but,  in  temporal  matters,  by  special  acts  of 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  227 

Divine  government,  rewarded  the  just  and  upheld  the  right.  — 
His  thorough  belief  in  an  over-ruling  Providence  was  as  real 
as  his  own  existence.  The  spirit  of  this  old  Christian  Patriot 
is  manifested  in  the  terse  and  .emphatic  inscription  on  the 
Concord  monument,  which  stands  upon  land  given  by  him  and 
formerly  a  part  of  his  farm. 

The  Norfolk  County  Court  House,  at  Dedham,  was  designed 
by  Mr.  Willard,  and  erected  in  1826.  It  was  then  and  still 
is  a  really  beautiful  building,  constructed  of  granite  found  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood,  with  light  Doric  porticos  having 
four  columns  in  each  front.  Its  dimensions  were  48  by  98  feet, 
with  projections.  It  was  universally  regarded  as  one  of  the 
truest  and  best  specimens  of  architecture  in  the  country.  In 
February,  1827,  when  it  was  formally  opened  for  public  use, 
Mr.  Samuel  P.  Loud  wrote  to  Mr.  Willard,  inviting  and  urging 
him  to  be  present  on  the  occasion,  casually  remarking,  —  "The 
Dedham  people  and  people  generally,  I  believe,  are  delighted 
with  this  building."  It  has  since  been  enlarged  and  altered  — 
often  a  fatal  process  upon  any  work  of  real  merit  —  but  is  yet 
regarded,  next  to  the  monument,  as  Mr.  Willard' s  most  success 
ful  work  in  architecture. 

The  Franklin  Monument,  in  the  Granary  Burying-ground, 
was  erected  by  a  few  citizens  of  Boston,  in  1827.  It  is  of 
pyramidal  form,  composed  of  several  blocks  taken  from  the  Bun 
ker  Hill  quarry.  The  design  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Willard. 
The  inscription  is  upon  a  copper  tablet  let  into  the  shaft.  Its 
height  is  twenty-five  feet. 

The  Harvard  Monument,  in  the  old  Burying-ground,  in 
Charlestown,  designed  by  Mr.  Willard,  was  erected  by  the 
alumni  of  Harvard,  in  1828.  It  is  an  obelisk,  strictly  conform 
ing  to  the  legitimate  definition  of  the  term,  fifteen  feet  high  to 
the  pyramid.  The  base  of  the  shaft  is  four  feet  six  inches, 
diminishing  one  half  in  the  height,  and  its  weight  about  fourteen 
tons,  (or  about  180  feet  cubic  measurement.)  The  inscription 
upon  this  monument  is  on  a  marble  slab,  set  into  the  shaft.  — 


228  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WJLLARD. 

The  block  was  taken  from  the  Bunker  Hill  quarry,  and  at  the 
price  paid  for  the  monument  stone,  cost  about  forty-five  cents 
in  the  ledge  —  one  quarter  of  a  cent  per  cubic  foot. 

Upon  the  suspension  of  the  work  on  the  monument,  in  1829, 
Mr.  Willard  gave  his  time  and  attention,  ,  not  merely  to  the 
furnishing  of  designs,  but  to  the  business  of  quarrying  stone; 
introducing  it,  in  fact,  as  a  building  material,  and  taking  con 
tracts  himself.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Joseph  Grennell,  of  New 
Bedford,  with  whom  he  had  just  completed  a  contract,  in 
November,  1831,  he  wrote  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  high  price  demanded  for  granite  for  fifteen  years  past, 
and  particularly  for  blocks  of  large  dimensions,  has  had  a  ten 
dency  to  discourage  the  use  of  it ;  and  my  object  in  engaging 
in  the  stone  business  was  not  to  make  money,  but  to  make 
experiments  in  order  to  remove  the  obstructions  to  the  extensive 
use  of  granite  as  a  building  material,  and  to  ascertain  the  lowest 
price  at  which  it  could  be  afforded  with  the  common  facilities 
for  doing  business.  I  left  the  profession  of  architect,  which  I 
had  followed  ten  years  in  Boston,  arid  took  charge  of  a  corps  of 
quarrymen.  at  the  Bunker  Hill  quarry,  in  Quincy,  six  years 
ago  the  fifteenth  of  the  present  November.  The  committee  of 
that  work  had  previously  advertised  for  proposals  for  furnishing 
the  stone  required,  and  received  but  one,  and  that  was  sixty-two 
cents  per  cubic  foot,  for  the  raw  material  delivered  in  Charles- 
town.  A  combination  had  taken  place  among  the  dealers  in 
stone  to  keep  up  the  prices,  as  is  usually  the  case.  The  quar 
rying  of  four  thousand  tons  was  finally  done  by  the  day,  by 
men  under  my  charge,  and  cost  the  association  but  thirteen 
cents  and  three  mills  per  cubic  foot,  delivered  on  a  wharf  in 
Charlestown.  Since  the  work  has  been  discontinued,  I  have 
been  making  experiments  at  my  own  expense.  While  I  con 
ducted  the  public  work,  my  services  were  gratuitous,  and  since 
doing  business  on  my  own  account,  I  have  merely  charged  my 
employers  for  their  work  what  I  supposed  would  be  the  prime 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  229 

cost,  well  managed,  taking  all  risks  on  myself,  without  any 
compensation  for  the  excessive  labor  and  anxiety  that  I  have 
had  oh  their  account." 

Mr.  Willard  furnished  at  different  times,  many  designs  for 
churches,  hospitals,  dwelling  houses,  stores,  £c.,  and  plans  for 
remodelling  churches  and  other  edifices.  In  July,  1829,  he  was 
consulted  concerning  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  Thomas 
Addis  Emmet,  the  Irish  patriot  and  distinguished  barrister, 
which  was  afterwards  erected  in  Saint  Paul's  Church  yard,  in 
New  York ;  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  was  employed  by 
Mr.  Andrew  J.  Allen,  in  reconnoitering  the  route  of  the  Fitch- 
burg  railroad  —  a  road  which  was  built  fifteen  or  sixteen  years 
later  by  other  parties.  In  December,  of  the  same  year,  he 
drew  outlines  of  several  different  routes,  extending  them  as  far 
as  Brattleborough,  in  Vermont.  In  1830,  he  made  several 
designs  for  churches,  including  one  at  Bangor,  Maine,  and 
the  Bowdoin  street  church,  in  Boston,  which  last  he  contracted 
for  and  built  of  rough  granite  at  very  low  rates.  The  style  and 
architecture  of  the  edifice,  although  heavy  and  sombre,  the  more 
so  from  being  of  rough  stone,  was  much  commended  for  its  good 
proportions.  The  next  year,  Mr.  Willard  examined  the  route 
for  a  railroad  from  Boston  to  Taunton  and  Somerset. 

In  1831.  application  was  made  to  him  to  furnish  stone  for 
two  houses  in  New  Bedford,  and  he  proposed  to  deliver  it  on  a 
wharf  in  Quincy,  in  8-inch  ashlars,  at  fifteen  cents  a  foot,  and 
he  made  up  the  account  of  cost  as  follows  :  For  bankage  one- 
quarter  of  a  cent ;  quarrying,  four  cents ;  dressing  edges,  seven 
cents ;  transportation,  two  and  three-quarter  cents ;  profit,  one 
cent ;  total,  fifteen  cents.  The  cost  of  stone-cornices,  with  three 
cubic  feet  of  stone  and  seven  feet  of  dressing,  he  stated  at  one 
dollar  and  seventy-four  cents  per  running  foot.  These  prices 
were  scarcely  up  to  the  prime  cost  of  the  article  at  that  time  ; 
were  manifestly  too  low  to  be  a  safe  guide  to  other  dealers,  and 
however  intended,  were  in  some  degree  unjust  towards  them.  — 
Large  contracts  were  made  with  Mr.  Joseph  Grennell,  and  Mr. 


230  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

Joseph  E.  Anthony,  of  New  Bedford,  and  the  stone  supplied, 
as  well  as  the  prices  charged,  gave  great  satisfaction  to  those 
gentlemen.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Willard  fulfilled  a  contract 
with  Mr.  Martin  Brimmer,  of  Boston,  and  supplied  the  stone  for 
the  fence  and  gate- way  of  the  Granary  Bury  ing-ground,  one 
block  of  which,  —  that  nearest  the  Tremont  House,  —  is  about 
thirty-five  feet  long.  The  work  on  the  gate-way,  (the  winged 
globe  and  inverted  torches, )  and  on  the  corner-posts,  (winged 
hour-glass,)  was  executed  at  Quincy,  under  the  general  super 
intendence  of  Mr.  Willard,  and  is  still  among  the  best  granite 
sculpture  in  the  city. 

The  new  Court  House  for  Suffolk  County,  in  Boston,  which 
has  been  since  enlarged,  was  designed  and  built  by  Mr.  Willard, 
and  completed  in  1835.  There  were  eight  granite  columns 
in  the  two  finely-proportioned  Doric  porticos,  —  only  one  of 
which  now  remains,  —  four  in  each ;  they  were  twenty-five  feet 
six  inches  in  height,  four  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  and 
measured  about  fifty  tons  each.  They  were  among  the  first 
of  these  heavy  columns,  after  those  of  the  Branch  Bank  and 
Quincy  market,  brought  into  the  city.  A  team  of  sixty- 
five  yoke  of  oxen  and  twelve  horses  was  required  to  draw  them 
from  the  railway  in  Quincy  to  Boston. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  231 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


NEW  YORK  MERCHANTS'  EXCHANGE  — 1836  — 1841. 


IN  June,  1836,  a  contract  was  made  by  Mr.  Willard  with  the 
New  York  Merchants'  Exchange  Company,  to  furnish  the  stone 
for  their  new  building,  and  the  contract  continued  for  over  five 
years.  Mr.  Isaiah  Rogers  was  the  architect,  and  the  company, 
by  Mr.  Willard' s  suggestion,  purchased  the  right  to  take  the 
stone  required  from  the  Wigwam  Quarry.  During  the  progress 
of  this  work  a  voluminous  correspondence  became  necessary  in 
relation  to  the  plans,  transmission  of  the  stone,  payment  of  the 
workmen,  &c.,  and  lastly  pertaining  to  the  final  settlement 
of  the  accounts,  amounting  to  nearly  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  Of  course  in  a  large  portion  of  this  correspondence 
there  is  nothing  of  general  interest  concerning  Mr.  Willard,  or 
illustrative  of  his  character;  but  in  the  lesser  portion,  there 
are  a  few  passages  of  interest  which  may  properly  be  referred 
to  or  quoted. 

The  contract  was  dated  the  22d  of  June,  and  the  considera 
tion  to  be  paid  to  Mr.  Willard  for  all  his  services  was  five  dol 
lars  a  day.  He  assumed  the  agency  of  working  the  quarry, 
employing  the  men,  shipping  the  stone,  &c.,  and  the  company 
paid  the  expenses  of  his  necessary  visits  to  New  York.  In  a 
letter  of  January,  1837,  Mr.  Willard  refers  to  some  difficulty 
experienced  in  the  progress  of  the  work  by  the  masons  waiting 
for  material.  "  It  must  be  quite  obvious,"  he  says.  "  that  if  the 


232  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

masons  wait,  there  are  too  many  of  them  employed ;  or  too  few 
employed  in  preparing  the  material  at  the  quarry.  We  found 
in  building  the  monument  that  about  four-fifths  of  the  money 
was  expended  in  preparing  and  getting  the  materials  to  the  site 
of  the  building,  and  one-fifth  in  fitting,  hoisting  and  setting  the 
stone  :  the  fitters  were  employed  in  working  off  the  quoin-heads, 
facing  the  headers,  matching-in  the  steps,  &c.,  and  the  black 
smith's  work,  coal,  &c.,  was  also  included.  Those  who  did  the 
hoisting  were  a  distinct  gang,  and  were  employed  in  adjusting 
the  machinery,  getting  the  blocks  of  stone  to  a  convenient  place 
for  hoisting  and  in  raising  them.  Under  the  head  of  mason's 
work  was  included  the  cost  of  the  mortar,  setting  of  the  stone, 
adjusting  the  scaffolding.  &c.  The  three  gangs  were  about 
equal,  and  the  expense  of  the  three  amounted  to  about  one-fifth 
of  the  whole  sum  paid  out,  and  consequently  each  of  the  gangs 
to  one-fifteenth.  The  relative  proportions  may  vary  in  differ 
ent  buildings.  In  a  building  partly  of  bricks  and  rough  stone, 
the  cost  of  the  mason's  work  to  the  whole  cost  may  be  greater 
than  in  the  experiment  noticed.  This  experiment,  however, 
goes  to  show  that  the  mason's  work  is  comparatively  a  small 
part  of  the  whole.  ...  No  waiting  ever  occurred  at  the 
monument  in  consequence  of  a  want  of  proportion  in  the  different 
gangs,  and  as  the  expense  of  the  mason's  part  was  found  to  be 
about  one-fifteenth  of  the  whole,  a  useful  rule  may  be  drawn 
for  proportioning  the  gangs  in  other  places  :  if  for  every  effec 
tive  mason  that  is  employed,  there  be  fourteen  other  men  en 
gaged  in  preparing  the  material,  there  will  be  no  waiting.  .  •„ 
I  do  not  think  it  good  policy  to  crowd  on  more  men  than  can 
work  to  advantage,  as  it  defeats  the  purpose  it  is  intended  to 
advance.  Idle  men  are  a  dead  weight,  and  worse  than  useless, 
— whether  they  be  idle  from  want  of  material  or  room  to  work — 
as  they  increase  the  expense  without  forwarding  the  work.  It 
may  be  easily  shown  that  the  wages  of  thirty  idle  men  at  three 
dollars  per  day  would  amount  to  more  than  the  interest  on  half 
a  million  of  dollars  at  six  per  cent,  per  annum." 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    \VILLARD.  233 

Mr.  Rogers,  in  a  letter  of  March  30,  1837,  says,  he  un 
derstands  the  arrangements  at  the  quarry  are  superior  to  any 
other  in  Quincy,  and  this  from  "  a  Quincy  man  is  saying  much." 
"  I  feel  very  much  gratified,"  he?"  added,  "to  see  the  narrow 
feeling  giving  way  to  liberal  and  jast  views  of  your  services; 
and  I  hope  before  the  stone  for  the  Exchange  is  finished,  if  your 
health  is  spared  to  you,  those  contracted  beings  who  have  been 
so  prone  to  throw  false  impressions  upon  your  exertions  and 
valuable  experiments,  will  be  willing  to  appreciate  some  of  your 
past  services." 

Mr.  Willard's  efforts  to  extend  the  use  of  granite  as  a  build 
ing  material,  by  putting  it  at  prime  cost,  —  tending  to  reduce 
the  profits  of  others  engaged  in  the  same  business,  had  the  effect 
to  prejudice  them  against  him,  especially  as  they  were  too  im 
mediately  interested  to  be  able  to  appreciate  his  purpose. 

Mr.  John  A.  Stevens,  president  of  the  Exchange  Company, 
visited  the  quarry  in  August,  1838,  and  expressed  himself  as 
follows  respecting  the  work  in  progress  :  "I  was  pleased  ex 
ceedingly  with  things  there.  I  do  not  believe  granite  has  been 
worked  so  extensively  and  beautifully  in  such  masses  since  the 
times  of  the  Egyptians.  The  bases,  consoles,  flutings  and  caps 
are  equally  admirable."  We  do  not  know  where  the  Egyptians 
have  left  any  work  at  all  comparable  to  that  to  be  found  in  the 
New  York  Merchants'  Exchange. 

Up  to  January,  1840,  Mr.  Willard  had  employed  at  the 
quarry  from  forty  to  ninety  men,  engaged  exclusively  on  the 
work  for  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  had  received  from  the 
company  and  paid  to  them,  and  for  contingent  expenses,  the  sum 
of  $255,794  91,  —  more  than  double  the  amount  expended  on 
the  monument.  During  this  period  of  three  and  a  half  years, 
Mr.  Willard  had  devoted  himself  to  his  work  and  workmen, 
with  such  assiduity  and  kindness  as  to  command  the  entire  con 
fidence  and  respect  of  employer  and  employed. 

A  very  large  amount  of  stone  was  required  for  this  building, 
including  eighteen  fluted  columns,  of  over  thirty  tons  each, 
30 


234  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

(similar  to  those  in  the  Court  House  arid  Tremont  House,  in 
Boston,)  and  more  than  fifty  other  blocks  of  twelve  to  sixteen 
tons  measurement.  The  finished  columns  were  thirty-two  feet 
eight  inches  in  height,  and  are  superb  specimens  of  work.  — 
After  the  first  column  hid  been  successfully  obtained,  Mr.  Wil- 
lard  wrote,  "  I  do  not  apprehend  much  difficulty  in  getting  the 
wlnle  out,  although  our  neighbors  in  the  stone  business  appear 
to  be  much  concerned  about  it.  I  presume  we  can  get  them  if 
anybody  can  and  at  less  than  half  the  cost  to  them." 

In  July,  1840,  Mr.  Willard  wrote  as  follows  :  "  We  are  now 
drilling  a  line  of  holes  eighty-four  feet  long,  and  have  a  fair 
chance  of  getting  two  columns  at  the  next  split."  On  the  fifth  of 
August,  he  wrote,  "  our  long  split  is  wedged  off  about  an  inch, 
and  I  think  will  make  what  was  intended.  Our  quarrymen 
have  had  to  proceed  with  great  caution  on  account  of  the  great 
length."  This  block  must  have  measured  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  Another  block  was  partly  got  out 
which  it  was  expected  would  make  four  columns,  but  it  was 
not  successful.  One  year  from  this  time,  during  which  much 
of  the  stone  for  the  Exchange  and  Custom  House,  in  Boston, 
had  been  got  out  and  forwarded,  Mr.  Willard  wrote,  July  8th, 
1841,  as  follows  :  "  We  expect  to  get  through  shortly  and  to 
have  the  greatest  hoorah  and  throwing  up  of  caps  that  ever  was 
in  Quincy  !  We  have  saved  three  cartridges  for  the  Yankee, 
to  be  fired  off  when  the  last  column  is  loaded."  Four  months 
later  he  wrote  :  ; '  We  are  about  getting  the  seventeenth  col 
umn  to  the  wharf.  The  eighteenth  we  expect  to  get  finished  on 
Tuesday  next,  and  the  whole,  column  and  architrave,  afloat  in 
the  course  of  next  week." 

Two  years  time,  after  most  of  the  other  work  was  done,  was 
required  to  get  out  and  finish  up  these  columns.  The  cost 
of  them  is  stated  in  an  estimate  of  work  remaining  to  be  done 
in  June,  1839,  at  $1,500  each  ;  but  in  a  later  statement  made 
in  October,  1841,  two  of  them,  upon  which  extra  work  was  or 
dered  by  Mr  Stevens,  are  put  down  at  $4,000,  and  Mr.  Willard 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    W1LLARD.  235 

in  one  of  his  letters  said,  "  The  prime  cost  of  getting  out  one  of 
these  shafts  is  as  much  as  the  prime  cost  of  a  Doric  column 
with  its  capital,  for  which  $5,200  is  paid  at  the  Custom  House." 
The  estimated  work  upon  each  was 'equal  to  four  men  for  forty- 
five  days.  There  were  great  risks  in  getting  them  out,  and  no 
less  than  five  blocks  which  were  split  off  failed  to  answer  for 
column,  and  one  was  rejected  after  it  was  rounded. 

Mr.  Willard  wrote  on  the  fifth  of  November,  "  Our  unsettled 
accounts  are  of  long  standing  and  I  should  like  to  have  them 
settled  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  How  would  it  do  for  you 
to  spend  a  few  days  in  Quincy,  in  helping  to  count  up  ?  We 
have  to  work  hard  and  live  poor,  and  sleep  on  a  board,  and  have 
no  accommodations  to  brag  of  near  the  quarry  ;  but  there  are 
two  houses  about  a  mile  off  where  they  keep  all  the  good  things 
necessary  to  make  life  comfortable,  where  I  presume  you  can 
be  accommodated." 

The  work  at  this  time  was  nearly  completed  and  the  splendid 
edifice,  wrought  out  of  the  rocky  ledges  of  Quincy  and  shipped 
to  New  York,  stone  by  stone,  stood  in  symmetrical  beauty  as 
the  Merchants'  Exchange,  in  the  great  commercial  metropolis  of 
the  nation.  "  So  far  as  regards  the  architectural  taste  of  the 
building  and  its  execution,"  Mr.  Willard  most  submissively 
wrote  to  Mr.  Stevens,  "  I  never  doubted  that  they  would  be 
considered  respectable."  Mr.  Rogers,  if  he  ever  saw  this  letter, 
would  hardly  consider  the  remark  very  flattering  to  himself.  — 
The  building,  however,  still  attests  the  taste  and  genius  of  the 
architect  as  well  as  the  skill  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
quarry  and  the  industry  of  the  men. 

During  the  whole  time  of  the  work  on  the  Merchants'  Ex 
change,  Mr.  Willard  was  particularly  careful  of  the  interests 
and  welfare  of  the  men  employed  and  many  of  them  became 
very  much  attached  to  him.  Much  of  his  correspondence 
was  in  their  behalf,  seeking  prompt  and  seasonable  payment  of 
their  wages,  and  urging  in  particular  cases,  their  claims  to  con 
sideration.  At  different  times,  owing  to  the  somewhat  stringent 


236  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLAED. 

circumstances  of  the  company,  although  he  himself  remained 
unpaid  to  the  last,  he  advanced  out  of  his  own  pocket  hundreds 
of  dollars  to  the  workmen,  to  relieve  them  from  pressing  neces 
sities  or  embarrassment.  Some  of  the  men  were  disposed  to  be 
troublesome,  notwithstanding  Mr.  Willard  thought  the  "advan 
tage  was  entirely  on  their  side,  as  they  had  been  employed  at 
high  prices  through  the  dullest  of  times."  Two  of  them  went 
to  New  York  to  obtain  the  balances  due  to  them  and  there  made 
false  reports  about  the  work,  which  reached  Mr.  Willard.  He 
thought  the  men  were  "  too  ignorant  and  simple  to  b3  very  dan 
gerous  to  anybody.  For  young  men  they  have  both  appeared 
to  be  uncommonly  craven  and  avaricious."  After  alluding  to 
the  jeabusies  existing  in  Quincy,  in  regard  to  the  work,  he 
suggested  to  Mr.  McCormick  that  it  was  "  descending  too  much 
for  you  to  ask  them  anything  about  the  work,  as  it  only  flatters 
their  vanity  to  be  taken  notice  of,  and  you  must  perceive  that 
you  would  not  get  a  favorable  opinion  at  any  rate.  Our  affairs 
are  always  open  to  examination  and  if  there  is  anything  wrong, 
it  might  be  easily  found  out  by  the  personal  inspection  of  the 
president,  yourself  or  Mr.  Rogers."  In  allusion  to  this  matter, 
Mr.  Stevens  immediately  wrote  him,  "  You  need  give  yourself 
no  uneasiness  as  to  the  effect  of  any  impression  made  by  what 
discharged  men  say  about  your  work.  We  leave  the  manage 
ment  of  the  quarry  with  great  confidence  to  you  —  at  all  times." 

The  work  was  completed  in  December,  1841,  having  been  in 
progress  five  years  and  four  months.  It  was  a  great  and  very 
costly  enterprise,  and  owing  to  the  depression  in  mercantile 
affairs  which  occurred  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  the 
company  became  greatly  embarrassed.  When  the  affairs  were 
finally  settled,  a  considerable  amount  was  found  to  be  due  to 
Mr.  Willard  and  his  workmen,  but  all  were  finally  paid,  Mr. 
Willard  and  others,  receiving  for  their  claims  the  new  five  per 
cent,  bonds  issued  by  the  company. 

Mr.  Willard  made  seven  or  eight  visits  to  New  York  while 
.the  work  was  going  on,  and  no  doubt  gave  Mr.  Rogers  much 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARI).  237 

valuable  assistance  in  his  plans.  His  memorandum  of  personal 
expenses  at  this  time  affords  an  insight  to  his  methods  and  an 
idea  of  the  cost  of  travel  and  the  expense  of  commodities,  as 
compared  with  the  present  time.  t  The  cost  of  a  journey  to  and 
from  New  York,  in  1837,  in  his  prudent  way,  was  twenty-five 
dollars.  In  1842,  the  items  of  expense  for  the  same  journey 
are  recorded  as  follows  :  Fare  from  Quincy  to  Boston,  37  ;  din 
ner,  33  ;  fare  to  New  York,  2.50  ;  supper,  50  ;  breakfast,  50  ; 
blacking  boots,  12;  board  at  Holt's,  1.50;  fare  back,  3.00; 
supper,  50  ;  lunch  and  fare  to  Quincy,  90  —  total,  $10.22.— 
Personal  expenses  of  most  kinds  were  about  half  what  they  have 
been  for  same  years  past,  while  the  expenses  of  travelling  have 
been  in  most  cases  largely  reduced  and  the  facilities  propor- 
tionably  increased. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  charges  among  his  entries  :  — 

Paid  for ,  court  fees  25 ;  justice  fees  90  ;  lent  him  $5.  — 

Among  the  other  items  are  subscriptions  for  several  new  roads, 
for  the  public  library,  contributions  to  various  individuals  and 
to  various  laudable  purposes — all  showing  his  interest  in  public 
and  charitable  objects  and  his  readiness  to  contribute  some 
thing  to  each. 


238  MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


THE    STONE    BUSINESS — MR.  WILLARD  ^S   A   FARMER. 


THE  objects  and  purposes  for  which  Mr.  Willard  avowedly 
engaged  in  the  stone  business,  naturally  excited  the  opposition 
and  ill-will  of  all  who  were  previously  in  it,  and  it  is  not 
strange  that  they  should  endeavor  to  keep  up  the  prices  of  their 
work  to  a  profit  standard;  not  by  any  direct  "combination," 
as  he  supposed,  but  by  a  common  personal  interest.  They 
looked  upon  his  course  with  jealousy  and  suspicion,  and  his 
proceedings  as  inimical  to  them,  and  no  doubt  said  harsh  things 
about  him.  Yet  he  did  nothing  but  what  he  believed  he  had  a 
clear  right  to  do  and  would  be  justified  in  doing.  He  was 
honest  almost  "  to  a  fault,"  and  did  not  consider  that  a  wrong 
done  to  himself  might  be  an  injury  to  another.  Moralists  may 
say  no  man  has  a  right  to  do  work  for  another  without  reason 
able  compensation,  for  thereby  he  enriches  the  party  for  whom 
he  labors  at  the  expense  of  those  who  obtain  their  living  in  the 
particular  branch  of  business  to  which  the  work  performed  per 
tains.  It  probably  never  occurred  to  Mr.  Willard  that  in  fur 
nishing  granite  to  builders  at  the  prime  cost,  derived  from  an 
average,  he  was  doing  a  wrong  to  those  engaged  in  the  same 
business  who  were  dependent  upon  a  reasonable  profit  on  their 
labor  ;  yet  it  might  have  been  so. 

Not  seeing  the  matter  in  this  light,  Mr.  Willard  continued 
his  efforts  to  increase  the  demand  for  granite,  expecting  that  all 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  239 

parties  would  find  their  interest  ultimately  in  small  profits  upon 
large  sales,  and  in  this  view  doubtless  his  proceedings  were  jus 
tifiable.  The  success  of  his  efforts,  —  his  almost  alone,  —  in 
introducing  the  free  use  of  granke'*as  a  building  material,  as 
seen  in  the  public  buildings  of  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  other  cities  ;  in  the  dry  docks  of  Charlestown  and  Norfolk  ; 
in  churches,  cemeteries  and  other  large  public  structures  —  all 
subsequent  to  the  commencement  of  the  monument  —  is  the  in- 
contestible  evidence  of  his  sagacity  and  foresight.  The  opening 
of  the  Bunker  Hill  quarry  led  to  the  discovery  and  opening  of 
other  quarries,  caused  the  building  of  the  first  railroad  in  the 
country,  and  gave  an  impulse  to  business  which  has  adorned  our 
cities  with  a  class  of  splendid  and  substantial  buildings,  both 
public  and  private,  which  for  durability  and  beauty,  are  wholly 
unsurpassed.  In  no  part  of  the  world,  we  believe,  is  a  more 
excellent  material  to  be  found ;  and  hard  and  heavy  as  the 
blocks  are,  they  are  new  worked  and  handled  with  a  facility 
which  Mr.  "VVillard  foresaw,  and  by  his  inventions  did  so  much 
to  attain. 

In  1841,  commencing  before  the  New  York  Exchange  was 
completed,  he  furnished  the  stone  for  the  Merchants'  Exchange 
in  Boston,  which  was  also  the  work  of  Mr.  Rogers.  The  tall 
plain  and  fluted  pilasters  in  the  front  of  this  building  are  much 
the  largest  in  Boston,  and  were  raised  into  position  by  means 
of  screws.  The  corner  pilasters  are  forty-one  feet  eight  inches 
in  height,  six  feet  wide  and  weigh  about  fifty-five  tons.  The 
emblem  of  commerce  and  navigation,  forming  the  centre-piece 
in  the  front  elevation,  —  an  engaged  globe,  showing  parallels, 
meridians  and  ecliptic,  surmounted  by  the  American  eagle,  with 
cornucopias  of  productions  and  coin  resting  upon  bales  below, 
and  projecting  from  behind  the  globe,  at  the  sides,  a  ship's  mast, 
trident,  anchor,  and  caduceus — although  wrought  by  a  stone-cut 
ter  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  is  still  the  most  elaborate 
piece  of  granite  sculpture  in  the  city,  and  though  it  has  been 
harshly  criticised,  was  considered  to  be  well  done  for  the  time 


240  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD. 

and  the  material.     The  art  was  in  its  infancy,  and  it  is  but  re 
cently  that  higher  achievements  have  been  accomplished. 

In  1841-2,  and  more  or  less  subsequently,  Mr.  Willard 
was  occupied  in  the  superintendence  of  the  work  on  the 
monument,  as  already  related  in  these  pages.  During  this  time 
the  work  on  the  "  two  Exchanges"  was  completed. 

But  Mr.  Willard  began  to  feel  that  he  had  completed  his 
experiments  and  was  satisfied  with  the  results,  and  he  did  not 
care  to  continue  any  longer  in  the  business,  —  not  even  now  to 
make  money,  which,  in  his  mode  of  life,  without  a  family,  he 
did  not  need.  Applications  to  him  were  therefore  declined,  or 
turned  over  to  other  parties.  In  February,  1842,  he  wrote,  — 
' '  I  have  never  intended  to  remain  permanently  in  Quincy .  The 
principal  work,  —  the  monumen1-,  —  that  led  me  to  this  place 
sixteen  years  ago,  is  nearly  finished,  besides  the  two  Exchanges, 
which  have  incidentally  come  in.  I  have  made  no  further  ar 
rangements  ;  but,  as  the  times  are  unfavorable  for  disposing 
of  what  I  have  in  Quincy,  I  may  be  detained  for  some  time 
to  come."  Notwithstanding  these  remarks,  it  appears  that  Mr. 
Willard  and  Mr.  Rogers,  only  a  month  previous  took  a  lease  of 
the  Wigwam  Quarry  of  Mr.  Belknap,  for  five  years.  We  pre 
sume  that  this  was  mainly  Mr.  Rogers's  transaction,  as  Mr. 
Willard  enters  the  payment  of  the  tax  upon  the  quarry  in  this 
wise:  "Paid  Mr.  Rogers's  tax  for  ledge,  $16,  made  out  to 
A.  E.  Belknap." 

He  interested  himself,  however,  in  the  affairs  of  the  town, 
of  which  he  had  been  a  citizen  since  1825,  and  superin 
tended  the  erection  of  a  School  House,  in  1842,  giving  the 
land  to  the  town,  and  of  a  Town  House,  in  1844,  both  neat  and 
substantial  buildings  of  native  granite. 

Mr.  Willard  also  laid  out  and  publicly  opened  the  Hall  Cem 
etery,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  quarry,  doing  much  of  the 
work  with  "  his  own  hands,  without  money  and  without  price." 
In  this  cemetery,  a  few  years  later,  he  raised  the  Rejected 
Column,  above-mentioned,  intended  for  the  New  York  Exchange. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  241 

It  was  removed  by  himself  and  four  men,  with  the  aid  of  his 
machinery,  a  distance  of  more  than  forty  rods,  and  erected  in 
the  centre  of  the  cemetery,  as  a  monument,  and  it  forms  a  most 
conspicuous  and  impressive  object  iirthe  grounds.  A  suitable 
foundation  was  prepared  for  this  remarkable  shaft,  which  was 
erected  as  left  by  the  workmen,  and  Mr.  Willurd  deposited 
in  its  top  a  complete  set  of  stone  cutter's  tools.  It  is  about  the 
same  height  and  somewhat  heavier  than  the  finished  columns. 
It  is  still  a  matter  of  surprise  that  he  was  able  to  move 
and  raise  a  column  of  over  thirty  tons  weight  with  the  small 
force  he  had.  The  land  for  the  cemetery  was  given  by  Mr. 
James  Hall,  at  Mr.  Willard's  solicitation.  Mr.  Hall  was  a 
very  wealthy  man,  —  a  bachelor,  —  and  had  unbounded  faith  in 
Mr.  Willard.  After  the  cemetery  was  laid  out,  Mr.  Willard 
suggested  to  him  that  an  iron  fence  for  the  front  was  needed. 
He  inquired  what  it  would  cost.  Mr.  Willard  replied,  "about 
a  thousand  dollars/'  and  Mr.  Hall,  jo :osely  remarking,  "you 
have  got  the  land  and  now  you  want  money,"  gave  him  the 
desired  amount. 

Harboring,  it  would  seem,  some  vague  ideas  of  change  of 
place,  or  possibly  of  resuming  his  profession,  Mr.  Willard  still 
continued  a  citizen  of  Quincy,  although  simply  a  boarder  in  a 
private  family.  Without  the  slightest  ambition  for  position,  and 
no  desire  for  wealth,  or  taste  for  display,  he  did  not  engage  in 
any  business  or  professional  pursuit  for  either  purpose.  What 
property  he  had,  besides  some  notes  and  bonds,  was  located  in 
Quincy,  capable  of  use  and  improvement  and  requiring  his  at 
tention.  Naturally  enough,  —  for  he  could  not  be  an  idler  any 
where,  —  he  gradually  fell  into  the  pursuit  of  an  amateur  far 
mer  and  occupied  himself  in  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of 
his  land.  He  bought  agricultural  books,  subscribed  for  agri 
cultural  newspapers,  became,  somewhat  later,  a  member  of  the 
Norfolk  County  Agricultural  Society,  and  went  very  system 
atically  into  the  study  and  practice  of  the  art.  The  occupation 
was  not  entirely  new  to  him :  he  had  worked  in  his  early  years 


242  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

upon  his  father's  farm  in  Petersham,  and  had  "  dabbled"  a  little 
in  agriculture  while  engaged  in  working  the  quarry.  In  1839, 
as  if  the  matter  had  been  already  talked  about,  Mr.  McCormick 
sent  him  the  famous  new  potatoe  of  that  time,  the  "  Rohan,"  — 
one  of  which,  he  said,  "will  produce  a  barrel."  —a  feat  in 
agriculture  which  coopers  or  grammarians  must  regard  as  mar 
vellous.  The  "  Red  Dutch"  and  "  Pine  Apple,"  though  new, 
were  thought  to  be  inferior,  as  they  cost  only  half  the  price,  — 
fifteen  dollars  per  bushel,  —  of  the  "  Rohans."  Mr.  Willard 
wrote  to  his  correspondent  that  "owing  to  previous  engagements 
in  other  directions,  his  experiments  in  the  farming  line  would  be 
necessarily  few  this  season.  I  intend,  however,  to  take  partic 
ular  care  of  the  '  murphys'  sent,  in  order  to  give  a  good  account 
of  them  at  the  end  of  the  year."  It  is  just  possible  that  this 
"  good  account  of  them"  may  be  found  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
Norfolk  County  Society,  but  we  doubt  if  he  ever  sent  any  such 
account  to  his  correspondent. 

It  is  not  probable  that  either  Mr.  Willard' s  speculations  or 
experiments  in  agriculture,  at  this  time,  were  of  any  particular 
value  ;  and  we  have  not  found  among  his  papers  any  statement 
of  their  results,  or  any  account  of  sales  of  produce.  We  pre 
sume  his  operations  were  not  very  extensive,  though  they 
served  to  occupy  his  mind  and  engage  his  interest.  He  may 
have  entered  more  zealously  into  the  business  in  later  years, 
when  he  sought  to  interest  others,  and  especially  the  young,  in 
the  art,  by  appropriating  small  portions  of  his  land  to  their 
use  and  encouraging  them  to  cultivate  it  for  their  own  benefit, 
while  he  in  fact  was  desirous  of  cultivating  in  them  habits  of 
labor  and  industry  —  buying  off  the  rude  and  indolent  boys  that 
they  should  not  molest  the  workers. 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  243 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 


INTRODUCTION    OF    GRANITE    AND    MACHINERY. 


WE  have  only  incidentally  mentioned,  or  briefly  spoken  of, 
Mr.  Willard's  efforts  to  introduce  granite  as  a  building  material 
and  at  the  same  time  to  improve  the  prevailing  style  of  archi 
tecture.  Mr.  Willard  felt  persuaded  that  an  improvement  in 
the  material  for  building  purposes,  so  decided  as  that  which  he, 
in  fact,  had  introduced,  would  gradually  effect  a  change  in  the 
style  of  building  and  in  the  general  architecture  of  the  times. 
Granite,  as  a  building  material,  excepting  in  a  few  instances 
and  those  mostly  under  Mr.  Willard's  superintendence,  had 
been  used  in  small  pieces,  or  blocks  of  moderate  size,  for  cellar 
walls,  underpinning,  posts,  lintels,  &c. :  and  his  first  measure 
was  to  introduce  the  material  in  large  blocks,  such  as  were  in 
themselves  massive  and  durable  —  which,  as  he  saw  at  once, 
would  absolutely  necessitate  changes  in  the  style  of  architecture 
and  in  the  character  of  public  buildings,  stores  and  other  sub 
stantial  structures.*  A  good  deal  of  feeling  was  manifested  when 
he  determined  that  such  blocks  should  be  provided  for  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  because  no  one  of  the  dealers  in  stone 
was  prepared  to  furnish  them  —  neither  to  quarry  them,  to 


*  A  sample  of  the  small  blocks  may  be  seen  in  the  front  of  Saint  Paul's 
Church,  Boston,  and  of  larger  ones  in  the  United  States'  Court  House,  (for 
merly  the  Masonic  Temple,)  on  the  adjoining  premises  ;  and  both  together,  the 
large  above  the  small,  make  an  a\vkward  appearanc3  in  the  Navy  Yard  wall, 
on  Chelsea  street,  in  Charlestown. 


244  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARU. 

manipulate  or  to  transport  them.  The  means  to  do  these  things 
had  to  be  created,  and  in  consequence  of  his  unchangeable  de 
termination,  his  enterprise  and  inventive  genius,  they  were  cre 
ated  and  his  purpose  fully  accomplished.  It  was  found  to  be 
practicable  to  get  such  blocks  out  of  the  new  quarry,  as  well  as 
out  of  boulders,  and  they  were  got  out,  wrought  and  transport 
ed  to  Charlestown,  by  means  prepared  for  the  purpose.  The 
effect  was  just  what  Mr.  Willard  supposed  it  would  be  upon 
the  style  of  buildings  required  in  the  city,  and  finally  in  other 
cities,  and  in  distant  parts  of  the  country,  where  our  superb 
granite  at  this  day  finds  a  market.  Evidence  is  not  wanting  — 
and  is,  in  fact,  so  abundant  in  what  we  every  day  witness  as  not 
to  need  suggestion : —  of  Mr.  Willard' s  foresight  and  skill  in  this 
matter.  As  the  civil  engineer  under  whose  superintendence  tho 
government  dry  docks  of  Norfolk  and  Charlestown  were  built, 
proposed  to  construct  Bunker  Hill  Monument  of  small  blocks, 
it  is  probable  that  similar  material  would  have  been  used  for 
those  works  except  for  the  success  which  attended  Mr.  Willard' s1 
efforts  in  introducing  large  blocks  for  the  monument. 

The  following  are  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Willard  on  this  subject, 
published  by  him  after  the  completion  of  the  monument :  — 

"  There  are  other  important  considerations,  connected  with 
these  experiments,  however,  and  advantages  growing  out  of 
them  —  only  secondary  to  the  main  purpose  ;  namely,  the  effect 
they  have  had  in  improving  the  style  of  building,  and  the  taste 
in  architecture,  by  the  introduction  of  a  building  material  not 
before  in  use ;  and  showing  that  it  can  be  worked  into  any 
moulded  or  ornamental  form  required,  for  the  exterior  of  the 
best  structures,  and  at  a  reasonable  rate.  And  thereby  having 
supplied  a  desideratum  which  had  always  existed,  until  the  com 
mencement  of  these  experiments. 

"  A  strongly  marked  improvement  in  taste,  and  in  construc 
tion,  immediately  followed  the  commencement  of  this  work  ;  as 
will  be  obvious  on  viewing  the  public  structures  which  have 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  245 

been  erected  since  that  time.  Improvement  in  construction  may 
be  noticed  in  the  Dry  Docks  in  Charlestown  and  Norfolk,  exe 
cuted  soon  after  the  commencement  of  our  work.  And  many  of 
the  buildings  recently  erected  inj.Beston  and  New  York,  will 
show  improvement  in  architectural  taste,  and  mechanical  execu 
tion.  And  particularly  the  Astor  House  and  Exchange,  in 
New  York,  and  the  Tremont  House,*  Exchange,  and  Custom 
House,  in  Boston.  A  change  for  the  better  may  also  be  seen 
in  the  recent  blocks  of  stores  of  which  the  same  material  forms 
an  essential  "part. 

"  In  a  pecuniary  point  of  view  these  experiments  have  also 
been  advantageous.  In  establishing  the  credit  of  a  new  build 
ing  material  it  created  a  new  demand ;  and  consequently,  a 
business  has  grown  out  of  them  since  the  work  was  commenced ; 
and,  in  a  space  of  a  few  square  miles,  amounting,  as  estimated, 
to  three  millions  of  dollars,  which  would  not  otherwise  have 
been  done  at  these  quarries,  and  of  which  the  work  on  the 
obelisk  is  but  about  one -thirtieth  part." 

Mr.  Dearborn,  in  his  "  Boston  Notions,"  mentions  thirty  or 
forty  new  blocks  of  stores  and  single  buildings,  all  of  granite  or 
of  granite  fronts,  one  of  which  (the  store  of  the  late  Benjamin 
Loring,  on  State  street.)  was  erected  in  1823  :  another,  (of  the 
late  Andrew  J.  Allen,  on  State  street.)  erected  in  1827  ;  the 
MasDnic  Temple,  (U.  S.  Court  House,)  and  a  granite  block  on 


*  The  Tremont  House  was  built  in  1828  —  the  corner-stone  having  been 
laid  on  the  4th  of  July,  by  Samuel  T.  Armstrong,  President  of  the  Massachu 
setts  Charitable  Mechanic  Association.  The  stone  was  hammered  at  the  State 
Prison,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Samuel  Lawrence.  The  ornamental  parts  of 
the  entablature,  the  ficade  and  the  portico,  were  executed  by  Mr.  Samuel  R. 
Johnson,  of  Charlestown.  The  Tremont  House  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  the 
first  class  hotels  in  the  country.  The  inscription  under  the  corner-stone  says — 
"  A  desii'e  to  promote  the  welfare  and  to  contribute  to  the  embellishment  of 
their  native  city  led  the  Proprietors,  Thomas  Handasyde  Perkins,  James  Per 
kins,  Andrew  Eliot  Belknap,  William  Harvard  Eliot,  and  Samuel  Atkins  Eliot 
to  undertake  this  work." 


246  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

Washington  street,  erected  in  1831 ;  a  block  on  Washington 
street,  in  1832 ;  Amory  Hall  Block,  1835  :  Lawrence  Block, 
Milk  street,  1844 ;  the  Cruft,  Oregon,  Quincy,  and  Brooks 
Blocks,  in  Pearl  street,  in  1845-6  and  1847  ;  Bowdoin  and 
Morton  Blocks,  Milk  street,  1845 ;  Old  South  Block,  1845  ; 
Horticultural  Hall,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Parker  House,  in 
School  street,  1844  ;  Sewall  Block,  Milk  street,  and  Sanford 
Block,  Franklin  street,  1846  ;  and  many  more  during  the  last 
twenty  years,  —  all,  excepting  the  first  mentioned,  were  erected 
subsequently  to  the  commencement  of  the  work  on  the  monu 
ment,  and  most  of  them  after  its  completion. 

After  the  blocks  were  split  off  from  the  ledge,  means  were 
required  to  raise  them  and  to  transport  them,  and  these,  as  we 
have  said,  had  to  be  invented  and  constructed,  as  no  machinery 
equal  to  the  purpose  and  otherwise  reliable,  was  then  in  use.  — 
The  hoisting  apparatus,  which  was  first  required,  was  provided 
by  Mr.  Almoran  Holmes,  and  respecting  it  and  him  we  may 
safely  adopt  the  honest,  generous  and  feeling  language  of  Mr. 
Willard,  who  knew  and  appreciated  him : 

"  Holmes's  Hoisting  Apparatus.  This  was  used  for  setting 
the  first  fifty-five  thousand  feet  of  the  granite  in  the  obelisk.* 
This  apparatus,  with  various  modifications  to  adapt  it  to  differ 
ent  purposes,  appears  to  have  been  the  original  invention  of  Mr. 
Almoran  Holmes,  of  Boston.  He  was  a  practical  seaman,  and 
a  bold  and  skilful  hand  in  this  department  of  engineering.  He 
had  recently  given  his  attention  to  the  different  kinds  of  ma 
chinery  required  for  the  hoisting  of  heavy  weights,  and,  from 
his  early  training,  was  well  prepared  to  direct  in  all  difficult 
cases,  and  particularly  where  rope  purchases  were  required.  — 
He  finally  lost  his  life  by  a  casualty  which  occurred  at  Long 


*  All  the  remaining  stone  were  hoisted  by  steam  power  ;  and  the  same 
power  was  used,  for  more  than  a  year  after  the  completion  of  the  monument,  to 
carry  visitors  to  the  top,  passing  up  through  the  cone. 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLAHD.  247 

Wharf,  in  Boston,  in  lowering  a  diving-bell.  He  had  the  entire 
charge  of  contriving  the  apparatus  and  hoisting  the  first  thirty- 
six  thousand  feet  of  granite  in  the  obelisk  ;  but,  previous  to 
the  recommencement  of  the  worjt  in  1834,  the  fatal  accident 
occurred,  which  deprived  the  association  and  the  public  of  his 
invaluable  services. 

"  This  hoisting  apparatus  is  remarkable  for  its  compass,  and 
the  ease  and  grace  with  which  it  performs  its  work.  With  a 
gaff  or  arm,  of  fifty  feet,  it  will  command  a  circle  of  one  hun 
dred  feet  in  diameter.  It  will  take  a  weight  at  the  point  of  the 
gaff  and  land  the  same  at  any  part  of  the  outer  circle ;  or  on 
any  point  of  a  concentric  circle,  until  it  arrives  at  the  foot  of  the 
derrick,  and  vice  versa.  It  is  consequently  well  adapted  to 
buildings  of  magnitude,  in  setting  the  stone  work ;  and  for 
wharves,  and  other  places  of  deposit,  in  stowing  the  materials  in 
the  most  compact  manner ;  and  reloading  them  when  wanted.  — 
This  apparatus,  with  some  variations,  has  come  into  general 
use,  and  is  so  well  contrived  for  the  purpose  intended,  as  to 
leave  little  to  be  wished  for,  in  regard  to  apparatus  for  hoisting. 

"  Something  of  the  kind  is  said  to  have  been  used  at  the  Bell- 
Rock  light-house,  for  setting  the  stone  work ;  and  it  is  quite 
possible  that  this  apparatus,  and  indeed  every  other  modern  in 
vention  for  the  purpose  of  hoisting,  may  have  been  in  use  before. 
The  great  works  of  the  ancients  that  have  come  down  to  us, 
prove  that  they  must  have  had  an  apparatus  of  great  power  of 
some  kind  ;  and  it  seems  quite  probable  that  this,  as  well  as 
other  inventions  of  modern  times,  may  have  been  repeatedly 
invented  and  lost,  within  the  last  four  thousand  years.  "* 

Other  machinery  was  required  for  the  handling,  lifting  and 
hauling  of  the  large  blocks  of  granite  from  the  Bunker  Hill 
ledge,  for  the  monument,  and  the  still  heavier  blocks  which  were 


*  A  p:irt  of  this  apparatus  is  seen  in  the  engraving  representing  the  first 
course  and  corner-stone  of  the  monument. 


248  MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

subsequently  required,  from  ten  tons  to  a  hundred  tons,  or  even 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  measurement.  This  machinery 
was  furnished  by  Mr.  Willard,  and  we  copy  his  brief  and  un 
pretending  account  of  it,  with  the  illustrations  and  explanations 
given  by  him  :  — 

"  The  Lifting  Jack  has  been  found  to  be  a  useful  machine 
for,turning  heavy  blocks  of  stone.  It  is  a  compact  and  power 
ful  machine,  calculated  for  hard  service,  and,  for  some  purposes, 
seems  to  be  better  adapted  than  any  other  power.  It  consists  of 
a  rack,  and  one  or  more  wheels  and  pinions,  according  to  the 
power  required. 

"  Something  of  .the  kind  has  been  in  use  from  the  earliest 
times  ;  but  was  not  used  in  the  granite  business  until  the  work 
on  the  monument  was  commenced.  Those  in  use  were  con 
structed  for  other  purposes,  and  not  adapted  to  hard  service.  — 
They  were  generally  made  of  thin  plates  of  iron,  bolted  to  a 
large  stock  of  wood,  having  a  feeble  rack,  and  without  proper 
boxes  for  gudgeons.  They  were  also  weak  and  of  rude  work 
manship,  and,  when  put  to  hard  service,  either  broke  or  wore 
down  and  out  of  gear  in  a  short  time. 

"  In  order  to  adapt  it  to  hard  service,  thicker  plates  were 
used,  and  these  plates  were  screwed  to  a  hoop  of  iron.  This 
iron  hoop  extended  to  the  foot  of  the  jack,  and  the  foot  was 
bolted  on,  giving  the  whole  a  firm  bearing  on  the  ground  ;  a 
piece  of  wood  was  bolted  between  the  sides,  leaving  a  groove  for 
the  sliding  of  the  rack. 

"  It  was  considered  important  that  the  best  of  materials  should 
be  used,  in  order  to  obtain  the  greatest  strength,  with  the  least 
weight.  And,  consequently,  the  whole  was  made  of  the  best  of 
wrought  iron  and  cast  steel,  except  the  boxes,  which  were 
of  bronze,  or  composition.  The  rack  and  the  wheels  were  of 
wrought  iron,  and  the  pinions  of  cast  steel. 

"  The  Pulling  Jack.  This  jack  is  constructed  much  like 
that  for  lifting ;  but  is  always  in  a  horizontal  position.  The 


MEMOIR    OF    SOLOMON   WILLARD.  249 

crank  pinion  is  extended  two  or  three  feet,  and  turned  by  four 
arms  about  three  feet  long.  The  rack  has  a  claw  at  the  end  to 
receive  a  chain,  which  may  be  led  to  places  which  are  inaccessi 
ble,  and  dangerous  for  using  the  cenlmon  jack.  It  is  a  power 
ful  and  convenient  purchase  for  canting  and  hauling  out  heavy 
blocks  of  stone. 

"  The  power  of  the  one  used  is  about  ten  tons  ;  but,  by  the 
addition  of  a  shieve,  the  power  is  nearly  doubled  —  amounting 
to  twenty  tons.  If  imre  is  necessary,  it  is  obtained  by  adding 
another  jack.  This  machine  was  contrived  and  first  used  at 
the  Bunker  Hill  quarry. 

"  The  Hoisting  Apparatus  was  contrived  at  the  Bunker  Hill 
quarry  and  first  used  in  loading  a  large  mass  of  the  granite 
for  the  obelisk.  It  is  calculated  for  raising  weights  too  heavy 
for  shears,  or  derricks,  and  has  been  found  convenient  for  loading 
any  stone  from  five  to  fifty,  or  even  sixty  tons  in  weight.  A 
horse,  or  timber  frame,  is  set  over  the  stone  to  be  raised,  sup 
porting  a  screw  and  nut.  A  chain  from  the  weight,  leads  to  a 
shackle,  which  is  connected  with  the  screw.  The  nut  is  then 
turned  round  by  long  arms,  and  the  weight  raised  to  a  proper 
height  for  the  carriage  to  pass  under  it,  and  when  properly  ad 
justed,  the  weight  is  lowered  to  its  bearings. 

"  For  blocks  of  granite  of  great  length,  such  as  columns  and 
pilasters,  &c.,  two  horses  and  screws  were  used.  In  unloading 
the  same,  the  apparatus  was  placed  over  them,  and  the  weight 
raised  sufficiently  to  clear  the  carriage.  The  carriage  was  then 
drawn  out,  and  the  weight  lowered  to  the  ground.  Many  hun 
dreds  of  loads  have  been  raised  in  this  way  without  accident, 
and  with  facility  and  economy." 

These  several  machines  are  still  in  use  at  the  quarries,  gigan 
tic  specimens  of  Holmes1  s  derrick,  towering  over  the  ledges, 
being  the  most  conspicuous  objects  in  West  Quincy. 


250  MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


CLOSING    LABORS    OF    MR.    WILLARD's    LIFE  —  HIS   DEATH. 


MR.  WILLARD  continued  to  reside  in  Quincy,  and  gradually 
gave  up  all  idea  of  leaving  the  neighborhood.  It  can  hardly  be 
said  that  he  continued  to  do  business  as  heretofore,  or  if  so,  it 
was  only  for  a  short  time.  His  book  concerning  the  monument, 
was  published  in  1843,  and  that  had  occupied  some  of  his  time, 
and  gave  much  satisfaction  to  his  friends. 

He  had  furnished  the  first  granite  paving  stones  ever  used  in 
Boston,  laid  in  front  of  the  Tremont  House  :  they  have  been 
since  a  good  deal  used  and  are  still  made  in  quantities  at  the 
ledges  in  Quincy.  He  had  also  furnished  the  working  plans 
and  stone,  for  the  astronomical  observatory  at  Cambridge,  de 
signed  by  Mr.  Rogers.  Mr.  Willard's  method  of  planning  the 
foundation  and  support  for  the  great  refractor,  of  heavy  granite 
blocks,  in  the  form  of  an  inverted  cone,  was  thought  to  be  a 
very  ingenious  and  successful  piece  of  work.  In  1843-4,  he 
attended  Mr.  Glidden's  lectures,  at  the  Lowell  Institute,  and 
studied  Egyptian  antiquities.  In  '44,  he  furnished  the  stone 
for  a  Savings'  Bank  building,  in  New  York,  and  superintended 
the  erection  of  the  Town  House,  in  Quincy  —  and  these  were 
among  the  last  of  his  engagements.  He  sold  his  tools  and  pur 
chased  farming  implements  ;  sold  his  lot  at  Mount  Auburn  and 
took  one  in  the  Hall  Cemetery  ;  sold  some  of  his  real  estate. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    W1LLARD.  251 

and,  (after  the  interest  on  his  Exchange  Bonds  failed,)  support 
ed  himself  on  the  proceeds. 

For  a  year  or  two  after  the  building  of  the  Town  House,  he 
was  interested  and  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a  School  House, 
in  the  village  which  he  had  done  so  much  to  create.  It  is  in 
the  centre  of  the  population,  on  a  broad  plain  almost  hemmed-in 
by  the  ledges ;  is  a  neat  and  handsome  building,  and  the 
remarkable  circumstance  about  it  is,  that  it  is  not  constructed 
of  the  substantial  material  so  abundant  in  the  vicinity.  A  good 
deal  of  the  work  inside  of  the  building  was  not  only  planned 
but  performed  by  Mr.  Willard  with  great  care  and  nicety,  at  his 
own  expense.  The  Selectmen  did  him  the  justice  to  confer  his 
name  upon  the  School.  The  Hall  Cemetery  and  the  Willard 
School  are  in  proximity  to  each  other,  while  the  men  whose 
memories  they  are  intended  to  perpetuate,  long  united  in 
friendly  bands  here,  now  rest  side  by  side,  and  after  a  brief 
separation,  are  again  united  in  heaven.  Mr.  Willard  died  a 
year  or  two  before  his  friend,  although  the  youngest,  and 
was  deposited  in  his  tomb. 

Before  commencing  the  School  House,  Mr.  Willard  seems 
to  have  been  indisposed  to  undertake  any  work  for  money. 
Unfortunately,  perhaps,  for  a  proper  understanding  of  his  life 
at  this  time  and  subsequently,  the  papers  which  he  left  at  his 
death,  were  scattered,  and  a  portion  of  them  destroyed  by  fire, 
so  that  none  of  them  have  been  available  in  writing  this  memoir. 
He  was  now  about  sixty  years  of  age,  without  a  family  to_look 
after,  without  any  ambition  to  gratify,  with  no  desire  for  office 
or  position,  with  no  "entangling  alliances,"  and  only  himself 
to  support.  He  sometimes  remarked  that  he  could  be  rich 
if  he  wished  to  be,  but  he  did  not  want  money.  He  might 
have  left  a  "large  fortune,  but  he  had  no  aspirations  for  wealth.'' 
With  regard  to  resuming  his  profession,  he  undoubtedly  felt 
that  he  was  now  too  far  advanced  in  life  to  put  himself  into 
competition  with  younger  men.  He  was  not  inclined  to  be  idle, 
but  rather  disposed  to  do  something  which  nobody  else  would 


252  MEMOIR   OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

think  of  or  venture  upon.  He  had  already  laid  out  and  0}  en- 
ed  upon  his  own  land  two  or  three  new  roads  or  streets,  without 
any  cost  to  the  town,  and  his  attention  was  again  turned  in  that 
direction.  The  enterprise  which  he  began,  and  worked  upon 
almost  up  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  was  the  building  of  a  road 
from  the  village,  near  the  ledges,  to  the  "  new  state,"  towards 
Milton.  This  road  would  open  to  easy  access  several  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  woodland,  belonging  to  the  Adams  and  the 
Quincy  estates,  and,  as  Mr.  Willard  thought,  would  at  once 
double  the  value  of  the  wood.  It  may  well  be  supposed  that 
the  proprietors  of  those  extensive  lands  were  willing  that  Mr. 
Willard  should  build  a  road  into  them. 

This  was  the  last  labor  in  which  he  engaged.  He  undertook 
it  alone,  and  worked  alone,  without  the  expectation  or  hope  of 
reward,  without  the  stimulant  of  fame,  present  or  to  come,  but 
simply  from  the  habit  of  industry  and  the  desire  to  accomplish 
something  useful,  no  matter  how  much  labor  was  required  to  do 
it.  The  road  was  to  be  two  or  three  miles  in  length,  when 
completed,  ranging  through  the  woods,  over  hills  and  vallies, 
crags  and  ledges,  across  swamps  and  meadows,  and  amongst 
entanglements  almost  insurmountable  by  human  effort.  One  of 
the  head  quarrymen,  accustomed  to  rugged  work  in  a  rough 
country,  went  over  the  route  with  the  bold  explorer,  on  one  oc 
casion,  arid  declares  the  undertaking  the  severest  experience 
of  the  kind  in  his  life.  Nothing  would  induce  him  to  at 
tempt  the  same  route  back,  and  he  still  considers  it  wonderful 
that  they  escaped  without  breaking  any  of  their  limbs. 

Mr.  Willard  labored  upon  this  work  unflinchingly,  as  if  he 
meant  to  accomplish  it,  and  he  would  have  accomplished  it,  had 
his  life  been  spared.  He  felt  so  confident  of  this,  though  it 
would  have  occupied  him  for  several  years,  that  he  had  actu 
ally  projected  and  partially  surveyed  another  similar  road  of 
greater  length  in  a  different  direction.  He  was  devoted  to  his 
work,  manifesting  the  same  indomitable  spirit  he  had  displayed 
in  the  building  of  the  monument ;  and  for  the  first  time,  in  the 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARP.  253 

hearing  of  his  friends,  at  the  end  of  his  last  day's  labor,  ad 
mitted  that  he  was  tired.  When  the  scene  of  his  work  was 
visited,  after  his  death,  great  surprise  was  expressed  at  the  ex 
tent  and  severe  character  of  the  labor  he  had  performed  during 
the  day.  It  was  considered  almost  incredible  that  some  of  the 
rocks  moved  by  him  could  have  been  moved  by  one  man.  No 
further  progress  has  been  made  on  the  road. 

Mr.  Willard's  habits  were  very  regular,  and  it  had  been  for 
years  his  custom  to  rise  early  in  the  morning  and  retire  at  the 
unfashionable  hour  of  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Although 
considerably  fatigued  with  his  day's  work,  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  February,  1861,  he  retired  apparently  in  his  usual 
state  of  health,  and  not  the  slightest  apprehension  was  felt  in 
the  family  concerning  him.  The  only  remark  made  during  the 
evening  relating  to  himself  was,  that  "  he  did  not  feel  very  well 
and  had  probably  worked  too  hard."  He  arose  and  came  from 
his  room  at  about  the  usual  hour,  the  next  morning,  Wednesday 
the  twenty-seventh,  and  while  waiting  for  breakfast,  talked  of 
the  state  of  the  country  and  the  then  impending  war.  Six  of 
the  States  had  at  this  time  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession  ; 
forts,  arsenals,  mints  and  navy  yards  had  been  seized,  and  the 
confederate  convention  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  constitution 
in  the  interest  of  rebellion  and  slavery.  Mr.  Willard.  at  this 
early  time,  seems  to  have  feared  the  success  of  the  rebels,  and 
was  apprehensive  that  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  to  complete 
which  he  had  sacrificed  so  much,  wrould  be  destroyed  by  them. 
Those  who  were  with  him  declare  that  he  was  so  much  affected 
by  this  thought  that  he  shed  tears  as  he  spoke.  Mr.  Samuel 
Ela,  with  whom  Mr.  Willard  boarded,  and  who  was  one  of  his 
reliable  men  in  the  Monument  and  Exchange  work,  told  him  he 
thought  it  would  all  come  out  right  in  the  end,  and  that  he  need 
not  trouble  himself  about  it  at  present. 

Soon  after  this  conversation,  breakfast  was  announced  to  be 
ready  and  Mr.  Willard,  Mr.  Ela  and  another  who  wras  present, 
proceeded  to  the  breakfast-room  ;  but  as  Mr.  Willard  was  mov- 


254  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

ing  his  chair  and  about  to  sit  down  at  the  table,  he  fell  sideways 
upon  the  floor,  in  apoplexy,  and  never  spoke  again.  A  physic 
ian  was  sent  for,  but  before  he  reached  the  house,  Mr.  Willard 
had  breathed  his  last,  living  only  about  twenty  minutes  after  he 
was  placed  upon  his  bed. 

Mr.  Willard's  sudden  death,  without  any  previous  sickness  in 
his  life,  produced  a  deep  sensation  in  the  town,  and  the  whole 
community  felt  that  they  had  lost  a  friend  and  one  of  their  most 
estimable  citizens.  He  was  known  by  everybody  as  an  earnest, 
public  spirited,  unselfish  man,  and  in  various  ways  a  benefactor 
to  the  town.  The  death -of  no  other  man  in  Quincy  would  have 
more  generally  or  more  deeply  stirred  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
Their  love  and  respect  for  him  was  manifested  on  the  occasion 
of  his  funeral :  all  the  work  at  the  various  ledges  was  suspend 
ed  ;  the  bells  of  the  town  were  tolled  ;  the  schools  dismissed  and 
the  children  formed  in  procession  ;  a  band  of  music  was  present 
on  the  occasion  and  every  mark  of  consideration  and  respect 
which  was  practicable  with  the  town  authorities  and  the  people, 
was  bestowed  upon  him.  His  name  was  given  to  one  of  the 
ledges,  and  his  memory  will  ever  be  green  among  the  people 
who  have  been  benefitted  by  his  labors.  One  of  his  townsmen* 
says  of  him,  "  he  combined  as  many  virtues  in  his  character  as 
often  falls  to  the  lot  of  one  man.  If  '  an  honest  man'  is  '  the 
noblest  work  of  God,'  he  was  that  man.  His  cons3ientiousness 
was  remarkable,  but  his  benevolence  knew  no  bounds.  His  de 
sire  to  do  good  to  all  around  him  was  the  theme  of  his  whole 
life.  He  had  not  an  enemy  in  Quincy — all  who  knew  him 
honored  and  loved  him.  The  name  of  Solomon  Willard  will 
never  be  forgotten  here.  Like  all  men  of  good  deeds,  he  was 
diligent  in  every  good  work  to  the  last. 

"  It  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  daily  went  about  doing  good. 
I  never  knew  a  more  disinterested  man  than  he  was ;  selfishness 


*  Dr.  W.  B.  Duggan. 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON   WILLARD.  255 

formed  no  part  of  his  character.  He  had  a  fine  mind  and  was 
a  devoted  lover  of  science.  His  conversational  powers  were 
pleasing  and  instructive.  He  was  well  read  in  Geology,  and 
latterly,  in  agricultural  science.  *  But  the  prominent  business 
trait  in  his  character  was  mechanical  genius. 

' '  He  was  a  donor  to  the  town  in  many  instances.  The  gran 
ite  engine-house  lot,  a  part  of  the  school-house  lot,  and  many 
new  avenues  through  his  land,  were  public  gifts  from  Mr.  Wil- 
lard.  At  the  first  mention  of  any  public  improvement,  he  was 
the  first  to  offer  his  counsel  and  services. 

"  In  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  was  just,  pleasing  in  man 
ners  and  divested  of  all  ostentation,  having  a  good  word  for 
every  person  he  met.  His  society  was  always  attractive  and  he 
left  a  good  impression  on  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  him.  .  . 
The  brightest  gem  in  his  character  was  charity  and  good  will 
to  men. 

"I  never  knew  his  theological  views.  His  life  was  one  so 
virtuous  and  good,  he  wras  certainly  a  practical  Christian.  Ma 
ny  years  before  his  death,  he  selected  a  piece  of  land,  covered 
by  a  beautiful  grove,  through  which  coursed  a  silver  stream  of 
brook-water,  designing  to  erect  on  this  lovely  retreat  a  chapel 
for  the  worship  of  God.  He  gave  it  the  name  of  Chapel  Lot. 

"  The  little  children  of  his  neighborhood  loved  him  as  a 
father.  In  their  pastimes,  he  whose  head  was  covered  with  the 
snows  of  nearly  four  score  years,  advised  and  counselled  with 
them.  On  the  return  of  each  vernal  period,  he  wrould  select 
small  sites  of  his  land  as  garden  lots,  for  any  little  boys  to  cul 
tivate  as  they  might  choose,  often  assisting  them  in  their  labors." 


256  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    W1LLARD. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


PERSONAL    APPEARANCE    AND    CHARACTER   OF   MR.  WILLARD. 


FROM  what  has  been  already  said  in  these  pages  of  Mr.  Wil- 
lard's  life  and  labors,  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  his  character 
as  a  man  is  readily  to  be  inferred.  He  was  ever  thoughtful, 
studious  and  industrious  ;  thinking  about  matters  which  other 
people  overlooked  or  neglected,  and  seeking  to  fill  his  mind  with 
knowledge  that  could  at  some  time  be  made  available.  From 
his  habit  of  thinking,  and  his  making  a  practical  use  of  the 
knowledge  he  obtained,  he  exemplified  the  truth  of  Cowper's 
well-known  lines  :  — 

"  Knowledge  and  Wisdom,  far  from  bein  gone 
Have  ofttimes  no  connection.     Knowledge  dwells 
In  heads  replete  with  thoughts  of  other  men  ; 
Wisdom  in  minds  attentive  to  their  own. 
Knowledge  —  a  rude  unprofitable  mass, 
The  mere  materials  with  which  Wisdom  builds, 
'Till  smoothed  and  squared  and  fitted  to  its  place, 
Does  but  encumber  whom  it  seems  to  enrich. 
Knowledge  is  proud  that  he  has  learned  so  much  ; 
Wisdom  is  humble  that  he  knows  no  more." 

Mr.  Willard  had  learned  much  and  was  humble. 

As  boy  and  man,  workman  and  pupil,  he  was  always  seeking 
improvement  and  endeavoring  to  qualify  himself  for  some  higher 
service.  While  wTith  his  father  he  served  him  dutifully  and 


MEMOIR    OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  257 

faithfully  up  to  the  day  of  his  freedom,  using  his  leisure  time 
in  his  own  improvement.  The  superfluities  and  luxuries  of  life, 
and  what  others  esteem  as  the  luxury  of  idleness,  had  no  at 
tractions  for  him.  He  was  little  disposed  to  "  recreate"  for  the 
sake  of  recreation,  or  "  indulge"  merely  for  the  pleasure  of  the 
indulgence.  He  "  patronized"  nothing  that  did  not  bring  with 
it  some  other  advantage  than  mere  gratification  of  passion  or 
desire.  "  Dulce  et  utile,"  was  a  rule  with  him,  but  utility  was 
his  more  general  practice.  Perhaps  he  carried  his  reserve  and 
self-restraint  too  far,  but  not  to  indulge  in  what  others  appeared 
to  enjoy  was  no  deprivation  to  him.  Abstinence  was  natural  or 
the  result  of  preference  :  contemporary  young  men  might  prefer 
to  spend  their  evenings  in  amusement  or  gaming,  while  he  made 
use  of  his  to  gain  admission  to  the  Athenaeum,  where  he  could 
hold  communion  with  the  wise  and  learned  of  past  and  present 
times,  and  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  history  of  man 
and  his  achievements.  It  might  be  supposed  that  his  retired 
and  studious  habits  would  lead  to  moroseness  or  perhaps  to 
misanthropy,  but  it  did  not  do  either  in  his  case.  He  was 
genial,  cordial,  and  cheerful,  in  his  way. 

As  a  carpenter,  carver,  designer,  architect,  builder,  and  as  a 
teacher,  Mr.  Willard  was  among  the  first  and  best,  and  in  some 
of  these  pursuits  was  rather  in  advance  of  his  time.  The  opin 
ions  of  those  who  knew  him  most  intimately,  and  among  these 
some  of  the  professional  master  mechanics  and  builders  of  the 
present  day,  are  all  to  the  effect  of  that  expressed  by  Mr.  Carey, 
in  1861.  already  quoted,  who  says,  "  I  have  been  acquainted 
with  nearly  all  of  the  principal  artists  and  mechanics  who  have 
resided  in  Boston,  for  the  last  fifty  years,  and  I  think  I  have 
never  known  a  man  of  greater  original  powers  of  mind,  combin 
ed  with  uncommon  practical  skill  in  executing,  than  Solomon 
Willard." 

Mr.  Willard's  habits  were  exemplary  ;  his  indulgences,  even 
in  innocent  enjoyments,  were  very  few.  He  did  not  find  his 
pleasure  in  what  are  considered  the  "  smaller  vices,"  and  was  no 
33 


258  MEMOIR   OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

"  faster"  in  his  daily  habits  than  in  his  daily  walk.  He  seldom 
visited  places  of  amusement  or  recreation,  and  his  invitations, 
unless  to  lectures  or  where  instruction  was  combined  with  enter 
tainment,  were  unaccepted.  He  appears  to  have  been  rigid  in 
these  things,  —  not  in  the  hope  of  reward,  not  in  the  austerity 
of  the  bigot,  not  from  any  vain  show  or  pretence  of  goodness, 
but  from  principle,  because  he  could  find  better  employment, 
more  profitable  to  his  thoughts,  more  congenial  with  his  tastes, 
more  consonant  with  his  reason  and  judgment.  He  preferred  to 
cultivate  his  higher  nature,  as  a  sentient  being,  without  any 
stringent  theological  notions,  whatever  he  might  have  thought  of 
these.  He  followed  the  emphatic  injunctions  of  Solomon,  builder 
and  king,  and  sought  wisdom  as  the  highest  good,  —  as  more 
precious  than  gold,  for  he  readily  parted  with  his  first  earnings 
for  books  and  instruction.  He  sought  at  all  times  the  develop 
ment  and  cultivation  of  his  intellectual  nature;  and  his  life 
shows  that  his  moral  and  physical  capacities  were  not  neglected. 
He  desired  to  know  and  understand  whatever  pertained  to  his 
profession  or  pursuits,  and  spared  no  eifort,  labor  or  cost,  in  the 
accomplishment  of  that  purpose. 

Intellectually,  therefore,  though  not  an  educated  man,  Mr. 
Willard  was  a  well  developed  man.  He  was  a  deep  thinker  and 
careful  reasoner  upon  subjects  which  he  understood ;  although, 
of  course,  his  writings  lacked  the  finish  of  scholarly  composi 
tions.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret,  perhaps,  that  he  allowed  him 
self  to  become  interested  in  so  many  pursuits  instead  of  limiting 
his  efforts  to  some  one  of  them.  He  did,  in  fact,  for  some  years 
previously  to  engaging  in  the  erection  of  the  monument  and  be 
coming  interested  in  the  stone  business,  confine  himself  to  archi 
tecture  and  considered  that  his  profession.  Had  he  persevered  in 
this  pursuit,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  excelled  in  some  of  its 
branches,  and  especially  in  construction.  He  had  good  taste  in 
design,  but  both  genius  and  skill  in  execution.  Nevertheless,  if 
he  made  a  mistake  in  leaving  a  profitable  profession  for  a  pur 
suit  more  onerous  and  undistinguished,  the  advantage  has  been 


MEMOIR     OF   SOLOMON    WILLARD.  259 

gained  to  the  public  in  the  introduction  and  use  of  a  valuable 
building  material  at  reasonable  cost. 

From  an  examination  of  the  papers  and  letters  of  Mr.  Willard, 
the  conclusion  is  inevitable  that  he  was  not  only  an  original, 
scientific  and  skilful  mechanic  and  artist,  but  that  he  was  emi 
nently  practical  in  the  various  departments  of  labor,  improve 
ment  and  progress.  His  mind  was  ever  active  in  suggestion  and 
invention  —  never  yielding  to  obstacles  or  at  a  loss  for  means 
and  contrivances  to  overcome  them.  He  was  not  only  fertile  in 
originating  ideas  of  improvement,  but  quick  to  adopt  and  follow 
out  the  suggestions  of  others,  and  free  to  give  praise  or  credit 
where  either  was  due.  He  was  tenacious  of  his  own  claims  and 
modest  in  the  presentation  of  them. 

Mr.  Willard  was  a  man  that  could  not  be  frivolous  ;  nonsense, 
however  essential  it  may  be  to  some  lives,  or  however  necessary 
to  the  equilibrium  of  things,  was  never  a  current  coin  with  him. 
There  is  a  difference  of  natures  in  this  respect  —  in  what  may 
be  called  the  unbending  of  the  mind.  Frivolity  and  nonsense, 
where  not  constitutional,  is  one  method,  (sometimes  it  becomes 
chronic)  ;  a  meditative,  perhaps  wre  may  say,  a  ruminating 
habit,  is  another  method ;  others  are  found  in  any  rational  rec 
reation  in  which  the  mind  is  not  kept  at  tension.  Mr.  Willard' s 
mind,  we  should  say,  was  rather  meditative  than  speculative  ; 
thoughts  and  ideas  could  never  be  said  to  strike  him  —  they 
planted  themselves  in  his  mind  by  a  process,  as  it  were,  and 
grew  there.  On  passing  him  in  the  street,  instead  of  saying 
he  is  thinking  of  something,  you  would  be  almost  sure  to  say 
he  is  going  somewhere  —  so  slow  and  inconspicuous  were  his 
thoughts.  When  he  did  thmk,  his  ideas  were  practical,  care 
fully  considered  and  mature,  and  were  not  to  be  killed  like 
some  other  things  which  grow,  by  the  first  frost. 

In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Willard  was  sedate,  —  almost 
grave.  This  was  Us  constant  bearing,  the  garb  in  w^ich  he  was 
habited,  the  air  in  which  he  moved.  The  mantle  of  thoughtful- 
ness  seemed  always  to  cover  him,  and  this  was  manifest  in  his 


260  MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD. 

gait  as  in  his  countenance.  Physically  he  was  a  large  man,  tall 
and  stout  and  slow  of  movement.  He  never  spoke  quickly  or 
hastily  but  moderately,  and  knew  well  the  advantage  that  des 
patch  has  over  hurry.  There  is  no  record  that  on  any  occasion, 
or  for  any  purpose,  he  ever  moved  faster  than  his  accustomed 
walk  ;  but  he  moved  steadily  forward,  and  would  probably  walk 
farther  in  the  course  of  a  day  than  most  other  men.  One 
thing  was  pretty  certain,  he  would  accomplish  whatever  he 
intended  to  do,  be  it  much  or  little.  He  was  a  moderatist  in 
all  things,  never  doing  extreme  things  or  holding  extreme  opin 
ions  ;  yet  strong  in  his  feelings,  firm  in  his  convictions,  probably 
a  little  prejudiced,  and  very  likely  often  dogmatical.  Human 
nature,  however  bestowed,  is  entitled  to  its  weaknesses,  and  no 
doubt  Mr.  Willard  had  his  full  share  of  these.  He  did  much 
in  the  way  of  intellectual  discipline,  —  more  or  less  required  of 
every  man,  —  and  kept  his  thoughts  and  passions  subordinate 
to  his  sense  and  judgment.  He  was  one  whose  better  nature 
was  always  most  apparent. 

Mr.  Willard  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  been  widely  known. 
He  was  known,  when  in  the  profession,  by  architects  and  artists, 
and  subsequently  by  quarrymen,  stone-cutters  and  builders  ;  but 
was  little  known  personally  to  the  public.  In  fact,  in  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  he  was  in  Boston  only  on  occasions  of  especial 
interest  to  himself.  The  last  time  he  was  seen  by  the  writer  was 
in  September,  1860,  at  the  Ninth  Exhibition  of  the  Mechanic 
Association  held  that  year.  He  spent  his  time  in  the  quiet 
hamlet  of  West  Quincy,  and  latterly  in  a  spot  almost  unvisited 
by  other  men,  and  sought  neither  publicity  or  popularity.  He 
had  qualified  himself  for  a  work  and  had  accomplished  it. 

Some  persons  thought  Mr.  Willard  was  eccentric  ;  but  Mr. 
Everett  said  the  only  thing  he  knew  of  him  that  was  eccentric 
was  his  readiness  to  do  anything  for  anybody  for  nothing.  This 
was  his  trait  through  life,  and  his  later  years,  in  a  quiet  and 
unostentatious  way,  were  almost  entirely  dedicated  to  the  pub 
lic.  The  little  village,  in  a  retired  part  of  which  he  lived,  was 


MEMOIR     OF    SOLOMON    WILLARD.  261 

his  field  of  labor,  and  its  improvement  and  prosperity,  his  per 
sonal  care.  It  is  said  that  Washington  was  made  childless  that 
he  might  be  the  "Father  of  his  Country:"  Mr.  Willard.  in 
the  same  sense,  having  no  family  of  his  own.  was  father  of  the 
village  which  had  grown  up  from  the  impulse  which  he  had 
given  to  the  stone  business.  It  was  now  his  home,  his  pride 
and  his  care. 

It  is  a  living  and  throbbing  memorial  of  him,  and  his  mem 
ory,  within  sound  of  the  hammer  and  drill  in  its  inexhaustible 
quarries,  can  hardly  be  forgotten.  The  children  of  the  town, 
and  their  children's  children,  will  become  familiar  with  his 
name  in  the  school  house;  the  workmen  will  be  reminded  of 
him  by  the  machines  which  they  use  and  the  ledge  which  bears 
his  name,  and  all  will  recognize  his  work  and  his  benevolence 
in  the  Cemetery,  where  the  "  Rejected  Column"  rises  with  so 
much  massive  grandeur,  and  is,  in  so  many  ways,  significant  of 
him  who  placed  it  there. 

Such  was  Solomon  Willard,  and  such  the  service  he  rendered 
to  the  public  in  his  day  and  generation.  He  has  left  prominent 
evidences  of  his  ability  and  skill  in  invention  and  execution ; 
of  his  industry,  perseverance  and  public  spirit ;  of  his  generos 
ity,  magnanimity  and  benevolence,  and  his  name  and  memory 
remain  registered  and  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  people 
among  whom  he  lived.  One  record  more,  in  justice  to  him, 
remains  to  be  made  :  the  duty  of  making  that  belongs  to  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association  ;  and  it  is  to  inscribe  upon 
one  the  blocks  of  granite  in  their  monument,  the  name  of 
"  Solomon  Willard,  Architect." 


APPENDIX  —  BEACON  HILL  MONUMENT.  263 


APPENDIX. 


BEACON  HILL  MONUMENT. 

A  brief  notice  and  description  of  Beacon  Hill  Monument  will  be 
found  on  pages  31  and  32  of  the  present  volume.  The  suggestion 
there  made  respecting  the  rebuilding  of  this  early  historical  memo 
rial  of  the  Revolution,  has  attained  to  practical  importance  by  the 
ready  action  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association.  At  its 
annual  meeting  on  the  seventeenth  of  June,  1864,  at  which  the 
suggestion  was  presented,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider 
the  subject.0  It  is  due  to  a  member  of  that  committee,  Mr.  Eobert 
C.  Winthrop,  to  say  that,  had  the  suggestion  so  distinctly  made  by 
him  in  his  classical  and  patriotic  oration  in  aid  of  the  Washington 
Equestrian  Statue, f  been  known  to  the  writer,  he  would  have  taken 
great  pleasure  in  the  previous  pages  in  awarding  to  him  the  honor, 
so  justly  his  due,  of  first  suggesting  the  rebuilding  of  this  beau 
tiful  column.  As  it  is,  simply  claiming  to  have  made  the  same 
suggestion  from  a  conviction  of  its  propriety,  we  yield  to  him  the 
precedence,  with  the  high  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  were 
seconding  the  thought  of  a  gentleman  of  so  much  intelligence  in 
history,  so  much  fervor  in  patriotic  feeling  and  so  much  taste  and 
appreciation  in  art. 

The  Beacon  Hill  Monument  was  erected  "  by  the  voluntary  con- 


*  William  W.  Wlieildon,  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Frederic  W.  Lincoln,  Wins- 
low  Lewis  and  J.  Huntington  Wolcott,  Committee. 

t  "  An  Address  delivered  in  aid  of  the  fund  for  Ball's  Equestrian  Statue 
of  Washington,  13  May,  1859." 


264  APPENDIX — WILL ARD  MEMOIR. 

tributions  of  the  citizens  of  Boston,"  in  1790;  and  was  undoubt 
edly  the  earliest  public  memorial  intended  "to  commemorate  that 
train  of  events  which  led  to  the  American  Ee volution,  and  finally 
secured  Liberty  and  Independence  to  the  United  States,"  if  not,  in 
fact,  the  first  public  monument  erected  in  the  country.  The  monu 
ment  on  Bunker  Hill  in  memory  of  Gen.  Warren,  was  erected  in 
1794;  the  monument  in  memory  of  the  slain  at  Lexington,  was 
erected  in  1799,  at  the  expense  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Upon  the  application  of  the  committee  above  mentioned,  the 
legislature  has  passed  an  act,  April,  1865,  authorizing  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  Association  to  rebuild  the  Beacon  Hill  Monument, 
on  some  suitable  site  to  be  selected  and  provided  by  them ;  and 
also  to  receive  from  the  Commonwealth  the  original  tablets  or  in 
scriptions,  now  in  the  doric  hall  of  the  State  House,  to  be  used  in 
the  reconstruction  of  said  monument.  Under  the  auspices  of  this 
patriotic  association,  it  is  to  be  hoped  the  Beacon  Hill  column  will 
be  restored  to  the  public  in  its  original  proportions. 


W1LLAKD  MEMOIR  —  LETTEE  TO  THE  PEESIDENT  OF 
THE  MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION. 

CIIARLESTOWN,  July  10,  1861. 

DEAR  SIR  :  The  Committee  appointed  at  the  meeting  of  the  Bun 
ker  Hill  Monument  Association,  on  the  17th  ult.,  to  "prepare  a 
suitable  notice  of  the  late  Solomon  Willard,"  find  it  impracticable 
to  prepare  any  sketch  of  his  life  and  connection  with  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  which  would  be  worthy  of  him,  or  creditable  to  the 
Association,  in  season  to  be  included  in  the  pamphlet  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  day,  as  contemplated  by  the  vote  of  the  Asso 
ciation.  Mr.  Willard  was  one  of  those  men  so  common  in  the  his 
tory  of  this  country,  and  generally  included  in  the  term  "  self-made 


APPENDIX — WILLAKD    MEMOIB. 

men,"  having  by  his  own  industry  and  genius  risen  frcm  the 
mechanical  profession  in  which  he  wras  bred,  to  prominence  as  an 
artizan  and  architect ;  and  his  life  is  an  example  of  industry,  per 
severance,  self-instruction  and  skill.  »  He  was  eminently  careful, 
cautious  and  reliable  ;  intelligent,  ingenious,  and  devoted  to  what 
ever  he  undertook  to  accomplish.  His  zeal  and  ardor  and  energy, 
in  connection  with  the  commencement  and  progress  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument,  were  such  as  to  constitute  a  marked  feature  of  his 
life,  and  lead  the  Committee  to  believe  that  it  is  due  to  his  memory 
and  to  the  honor  of  the  Association,  that  a  more  complete  sketch  of 
his  services,  so  liberally  and  earnestly  rendered,  than  they  are  now 
able  to  present,  should  be  preserved  among  its  memorials.  To  him 
not  less  than  to  the  noble,  patriotic  and  generous  men  of  his  time, 
who  first  and  last  engaged  themselves  in  this  great  national  enter 
prise,  many  of  whom  have  passed  to  that  future  state  of  hopefulness 
and  reward  promised  to  the  faithful,  is  the  country  indebted  today 
for  the  monument  which  marks  forever  the  first  great  battle-field 
of  Liberty  and  Independence.  Long  may  it  stand,  a  proud  memo 
rial,  as  it  is,  of  patriotism  and  gratitude,  indicating  the  spot,  and 
perpetuating  the  remembrance  of  deeds,  upon  which  and  through 
which  a  nation  was  born  and  the  rights  of  the  people  justified. 

Very  respectfully, 

In  behalf  of  the  Committee, 

WM.  W.  WHEILDOK 
Hon.  G.  WASHINGTON  WARREN, 

President  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association. 


34 


266  APPENDIX  —  FIRST  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE. 


FIRST  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  THE  MEMOIR 
OE  SOLOMON  AYIEEAED. 

COMMITTEE  : 

WILLIAM  W.  WHFILDON,  NATHAKIIL    COTTON, 

FRED.  H.  STIMPSON,  URlf  L  CROCK1.R, 

AMOS  A.  LAWRINCE. 

TILE  Committee,  appointed  on  the  seventeenth  of  June  last,  to 
prepare  a  Memoir  of  the  late  SOLOMON  WILLARD,  Architect  and 
Superintendent  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  respectfully  RE 
PORT,  in  part,  — 

That  they  were  wholly  unable  to  prepare  such  Memoir  in  season 
for  publication  in  the  pamphlet  report  of  the  ceremonies  and  pro 
ceedings  of  that  day,  as  intended  by  the  association,  and  accord 
ingly  so  informed  the  President,  in  a  note  of  the  10th  of  July, 
which  is  contained  in  the  pamphlet  referred  to. 

The  Committee  have  had  several  meetings,  and  the  members 
have  given  such  portions  of  time  to  the  collection  and  prepa 
ration  of  material  as  they  have  been  able  to  spare  from  other  en 
gagements.  In  this  service  they  have  succeeded  beyond  their  ex 
pectations,  and  find  reasons,  from  the  documents  and  facts  which 
have  come  to  their  knowledge,  which  not  only  justify  the  associa 
tion  in  the  measure  proposed,  but  seem  to  demand  the  service  at 
their  hands. 

The  Committee  believe  that  the  purpose  of  biography,  toward 
eminent  or  prominent  men,  is  not  merely  to  do  honor  to  the  dead  — 
a  cheap  reward  to  them  —  but  to  afford  examples  of  encouragement, 
hopefulness,  and  character,  to  the  youth  of  our  country,  who  are  so 
frequently  and  so  early  in  life  compelled  to  rely  uj.cn  their  O\MI 
exertions  for  advancement  and  success  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
give  assurance  that  those  efforts  and  that  success,  TV  hen  attained 
and  resulting  in  benefits  to  the  community,  shall  be  properly 
appreciated  and  duly  honored. 


Al'PKMDIX  —  FIllST  R^POitr  OF  COMMITTEE.  'K)  < 

The  Committee  are  led  to  believe  that  in  'nothing  which  has  yet 
baen  given  to  the  public,  has  reasonable  justice  been  done  to  Mr. 
Willard,  and  especially  in  relation  to  the  great  national  structure 
oi:*  which  he  was  architect  and  patrqn,  and  to  which  he  devoted, 
with  a  zeal  and  interest  which  knew  no  fatigue  or  flagging,  some  of 
the  best  years  of  his  life,  the  only  adequate  compensation  for  which, 
in  lieu  of  any  other  reward,  is  to  be  found  in  the  work  itself.  Xor 
have  his  character  and  services,  — •  the  latter  variously  rendered  in 
this  city  and  elsewhere,  —  nor  the  means,  self-inspired  and  self- 
created,  by  which  he  was  enabled  to  secure  the  one  and  perform 
the  other,  ever  been  presented  as  they  ought  to  be  to  the  youth  of 
the  country  and  to  the  consideration  of  the  public  judgment.  Such 
an  example  as  his  life  affords,  cordially  attested  by  those  who  knew 
him  best,  of  untiring  industry,  unyielding  faith  and  unimpeachable 
integrity,  in  word  and  deed,  —  raising  himself  from  the  laborer  to 
the  artist, — ought  not  to  be  lost ;  and  the  Committee  will  feel  it 
to  be  their  duty,  if  further  time  be  allowed  to  them,  with  such 
authentic  materials  as  they  may  possess,  to  do  some  degree  of  jus 
tice  and  honor  to  his  memory,  and  make  some  suitable  record  of 
the  valuable  services  so  freely  rendered  by  him  to  this  association. 
In  behalf  of  the  Committee, 

WM.  W.  WHEILDON. 

Boston,  17th  June,   18G2. 

The  Report  was  read  and  accepted,  and  the  following  vote  passed 
by  the  Association  :  — 

VOTED,  That  the  Committee,  appointed  June  17,  1861,  to  pre 
pare  a  Memoir  of  the  late  SOLOMON  WILLARD,  be  authorized  to 
publish  said  Memoir,  when  completed,  in  such  form  as  they  may 
deem  suitable  ;  and  that  it  be  printed  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Standing  Committee. 


268  APPENLIX —  MONUMENTS   IN    MASSACHUSETTS. 


HISTORICAL  MONUMENTS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Acton  Monument,  at  Acton,  in  memory  of  Davis,  Hosmer,  and 
Hayward,  who  were  killed  at  Concord,  19th  April,  1775.  Built 
by  the  State  Legislature,  1852.  Granite,  in  obelisk  form. 

Beacon  Hill  Monument,  erected  in  1790  ;  taken  down  in  1811.  — 
Its  tablets  are  preserved  and  it  will  probably  be  rebuilt  on  Bos 
ton  Common,  on  a  spur  of  the  original  hill. 

Bunker  Hill  Monument,  at  Charlestown,  1825-'43.  Built  of  gran 
ite,  221  feet  5  inches  in  height.0 

Concord  Monument,  at  Concord,  to  commemorate  the  fight  at  the 
North  Bridge,  April  19,  1775.  Granite  obelisk.  1S2G — 1836. 

Cushman  Monument,  in  the  cemetery  at  Plymouth,  in  memory  of 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  erected  in  1858,  of  Quincy  granite,  in  the 
obelisk  form. 

Danvers  Monument,  at  Danvers,  in  memory  of  seven  citizens  of 
that  town,  killed  at  West  Cambridge,  April  19th,  1775.  Gran 
ite  in  the  obelisk  form. 

Duston  Monument,  at  Haverhill,  in  memory  of  Hannah  Duston,  on 
the  site  of  the  house  from  which  she  was  taken  by  the  Indians. 
Authorized  by  act  of  legislature,  1856. 

Forefather's  Monument,  proposed  to  be  erected  at  Plymouth — on 
an  elaborate  and  costly  design.  Corner-stone  laid  in  1859. 

Harvard  Monument,  in  the  old  burying-ground  at  Charlestown,  in 
memory  of  Rev.  John  Harvard,  founder  of  Harvard  College, 
erected  in  1838,  by  the  alumni.  Granite  obelisk.  • 


*  Height  of  the  column  of  Alexander,  at  St.  Petersburg,  (including  pedes 
tal,  capital,  bronze  dome,  angel  and  cross,)  150  feet  ;  of  the  Monument  of 
London,  stated  to  be  "the  loftiest  column  in  the  world,"  202  feet  ;  of  the 
Arch  of  Triumphe,  at  Paris,  152  feet ;  of  the  Column  of  Napoleon,  Place  Ven- 
dome,  135  feet  and  the  statue  11  feet  ;  Colonne  de  Juillet,  154  feet  ;  of  the 
Trajan  Column,  at  Rome,  125  ;  of  Antoninus,  123  ;  of  Pompey's  Pillar,  at 
Alexandria,  100  ;  of  Cleopatra's  Needle,  about  70  feet. 


APPENDIX  —  MONUMENTS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS.  260 

Lexington  Monument,  at  Lexington,  in  memory  of  seven  citizens 
of  that  town  and  one  of  Woburn,  killed  on  the  19th  of  April, 
1775.  Erected  by  the  State  Legislature  in  1799.  In  1850,  a 
corporation  was  established  for  the  erection  of  a  new  and  larger 
monument  at  Lexington. 

Ladd  and  Whitney  Monument,  in  Merrimack  Square,  Lowell,  in 
memory  of  two  soldiers  killed  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore,  on 
April  19,  1861.  Concord  granite.  Dedicated,  June  17,  1865. 

Monument  at  Bloody  Brook,  Deerfield,  erected  in  1838,  in  memory 
of  Capt.  Thomas  Lothrop  and  seventy-six  men,  out  of  eighty  un 
der  his  command,  who  were  killed  by  700  Indians,  at  Bloody 
Brook,  September  18,  1675,  old  style. 

Monument  at  Somerville,  in  memory  of  citizens  of  that  town  killed 
in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Built  by  the  Somerville  Light  In 
fantry,  of  marble,  1865. 

Monument  at  Mount  Auburn,  in  memory  of  Lieut.  Underwood  and 
Midshipmen  Henry,  EC  id  and  Bacon,  of  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Ex 
pedition,  erected  by  their  associate  officers  and  scientific  corps. 

Wadsworth  Monument,  at  Sudbury,  in  memory  of  Capt.  Wadsworth, 
killed  by  the  Indians,  in  King  Philip's  war,  in  1676.  Completed 
and  dedicated  in  November,  1852. 

Warren  Monument,  on  Bunker  Hill,  erected  in  1794  ;  taken  down 
in  1825,  to  give  place  to  the  present  structure.  A  miniature 
model,  in  white  marble,  is  deposited  in  the  present  monument. 

West  Cambridge  Monument,  in  memory  of  twelve  persons  who  fell 
in  that  town,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  on  the  return  of  the 
British  troops  from  Concord.  Erected  1847.  Granite  obelisk. 


APPENDIX —  MONUMENTS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 


NOTE. 


There  are  many  monuments,  of  a  more  or  less  public  character, 
erected  by  private  munificence,  in  our  cemeteries  and  in  every  city 
and  almost  every  town  in  the  Commonwealth,  in  memory  of  promi 
nent  and  eminent  citizens.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  and 
beautiful  of  these  is  that  erected  a  few  years  ago,  by  Mr.  T.  Bige- 
low  Lawrence,  at  Worcester,  in  memory  of  his  great-grandfather, 
Colonel  Timothy  Bigelow,  of  revolutionary  renown.  This  monu 
ment  was  publicly  dedicated  on  the  19th  of  April,  1801,  the  8Gth 
anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  he  rallied  his  company  of  minute- 
men  and  started  for  Concord.0 

The  Monumental  Urn,  "generally  regarded  as  a  memorial  of  Dr. 
Benjamin  Franklin,  which  for  more  than  half  a  century  stood 
in  the  centre  of  the  enclosure  in  Franklin  Place,  in  Boston, 
was  erected  about  1793,  and  was  removed  when  that  beautiful 
place  was  surrendered  for  the  erection  of  warehouses  in  1858-9. 
It  was  purchased  at  Bath,  England,  whence  the  plan  of  Franklin 
Place,  in  its  elliptical  form,  was  derived,  and  in  which  city 
such  ornaments  were  common.  It  is  made  of  oolite,  or  white  free 
stone  of  which  the  ancient  fashionable  city  which  rejoices  in  the 
possession  of  a  statue  of  "  Beau  Nash,"  is  mostly  built.  It  is 
now  over  the  grave  of  Mr.  Charles  Bulfinch,  Mr.  Willard's  earnest 
friend,  at  Mount  Auburn. 


*  An  account  of  the  "  Ceremonies  .at  the  Dedication  of  the  Bigelow  Mon 
ument,"  was  published  by  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  1861. 


APPENDIX  —  STATUARY  IN  MASSACHUSETTS.  271 


STATUARY   IN    MASSACHUSETTS. 

THE  SAVIOR,  a  copy  from  Thorwaldscn,  on  the  apex  of  the  pediment 

of  the  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Boston,  marble. 
VIRGIN  MARY,  in  a  niche  in  front  of  the  same  church. 
Washington,  by  Sir  Francis  Chantrey,  in   the  Doric  Hall  of  the 

State  House,  in  marble. 

AYashington,  by  Houdon,  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  a  copy  in  plas 
ter  of  that  belonging  to  the  State  of  Virginia,  at  Kichmond. 
Franklin,  by  Horatio  Greenough,  in  front  of  the  City  Hall,  Boston, 

cast  in  bronze  at  Chicopee. 
John  Winthrop,  by  Horatio  Greenough,  in  the  Chapel  at   Mount 

Auburn,  in  marble. 

John  Adams,  by  Randolph  Rogers,  at  Mount  Auburn,  in  marble. 
James   Otis,    by    Thomas    G.    Crawford,     at    Mount    Auburn,    in 

marble. 

Joseph  Warren,  by  Henry  Dexter,  at  Bunker  Hill,  in  marble. 
Alexander  Hamilton,  by  Dr.  Rimmer,  of  Chelsea,  Commonwealth 

Avenue,  Boston.     Presented  to  the  city  by  Mr.  Thomas  Lee. — 

Cut  in  white  granite,  probably  the  first  in  that  material  in  the 

country. 

Joseph  Story,  by  AY.  AA\  Story,  at  Mount  Auburn,  in  marble. 
Nathaniel  Bowditch,  by  Ball  Hughes,  at  Mount  Auburn,  cast  in 

bronze  at  Boston.     The  model  is  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 
Daniel  Webster,  by  Hiram  Powers,   in   front  of  the   State  House, 

cast  in  bronze  at  Munich. 
Horace  Mann,  by  Miss  Stebbins,  in  front  of  the  State  House,  cast 

in   bronze   at   Munich. 

Hosea  Ballou,  by  Edw.  A.  Brackett,  at  Mount  Auburn,  in  marble. 
Josiah  Quincy,  by  Story,  yet  at  Rome,   ordered  by  the  alumni  of 

Harvard  College,  and  is  to  come  to  Boston. 
Aristides,  in  Louisburg  Square,    Boston,  imported  by  Mr.  Joseph 

lasigi,  and  owned  by  the  residents  on  the  Square  ;  in  marble. 
Columbus  (lifting  the  veil  from  the  Earth.)  in  Louisburg  Square, 

imported  by  Mr.  lasigi,  and  owned  by  the  residents  :  in  marble. 


272  APPENDIX  —  STATUARY  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Beethoven,  by  Thomas  G.  Crawford,  in  Music  Hall,  cast  in  bronze 
at  Munich,  the  gift  of  Mr.  Charles  C.  Perkins,  of  Boston. 

Wounded  Indian,  by  P.  Stephenson,  in  the  hall  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association,  Boston,  in  marble. 

Venus  de  Milo,  (armless,)  heroic  size,  in  the  Reading  Room  of  the 
same  association.  A  copy  of  the  original  found  in  the  island  of 
Milo,  in  1820,  and  now  in  the  Louvre. 

The  Arcadian  Shepherd  Boy,  by  W.  W.  Story,  in  the  Public  Libra 
ry,  Boston,  presented  by  several  citizens. 

Madonna  and  Infant,  St.  Mary's  Institute,  Boston,  in  plaster. 

Guardian  Angel,  a  group,  at  the  House  of  the  Guardian  Angel,  in 
Roxbury,  carved  in  wood. 

Charity,  two  groups,  on  Octagon  Hall,  in  Roxbury,  formerly  on 
the  old  Boston  alms  house. 

NOTE.  There  are  many  others  in  the  Commonwealth,  but  we  have 
not  thought  it  expedient  to  extend  the  list.  Those  named  are  of 
life  or  heroic  size,  and  are  open  to  public  inspection.  Of  ancient 
and  classical  statuary  there  is  a  large  collection  in  the  Boston 
Athenaeum,  and  more  or  less  in  private  possession.  There  are  also 
dt  Mount  Auburn,  besides  numerous  monuments  which  are  superb 
and  costly  works  of  art,  many  elaborate  specimens  of  sculpture 
and  statuary  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Forest  Hill  and  other  cemeteries. 

The  Equestrian  Statue  of  Washington,  by  Thomas  Ball,  has 
been  moulded  by  that  artist  arid  exhibited  to  the  public  in  Boston. 
It  is  to  be  cast  in  bronze,  but  has  not  yet  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  founders. 

Statues  of  Ceres,  Flora  and  Pomona,  which  have  been  modelled 
by  Martin  Milmore,  of  Boston,  are  to  be  erected  in  the  front  of 
the  new  Horticultural  Hall,  Tremont  street,  Boston.  Ceres  will  be 
eleven  feet  high  ;  Flora  and  Pomona,  eight  feet.  In  fine  granite. 

A  statue  of  the  late  Edward  Everett,  whose  services  have  been 
so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  preceding  pages,  is  soon  to  be  pro 
vided  for  the  city  of  Boston,  the  necessary  funds  having  already 
been  raised  by  voluntary  subscriptions  for  the  purpose. 


Sectional  View  of  the  Monument. 


U.  C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


